Department for Transport

Eurostar: Internet

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to improve telecoms connectivity onboard Eurostar trains travelling in tunnels in England.

Claire Perry: Neither the Secretary of State, nor HS1 Ltd, which operates the HS1 network on a 30 year government-let concession basis is able to oblige Eurostar to provide wi-fi on its services. This would be a commercial decision for the train operating company concerned.HS1 Ltd already provides free wi-fi at St Pancras, Stratford and Ebbsfleet International stations.HS1 Ltd has also entered into exploratory conversations with a telecoms supplier to provide a 4G service at all HS1 stations and along the HS1 route, including the tunnels and open route areas. The exploratory work will assess the proposed financing of additional infrastructure required with a decision expected later this year. The Secretary of State has no part to play in this decision-making process.

Parking: Fees and Charges

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints have been made to the DVLA about the issuing of private parking tickets in the last year; how many such complaints have been upheld; and how many companies have been barred from access to the DVLA data base in that period.

Andrew Jones: In 2015, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) received 59 complaints about 23 different private parking companies about concerns arising from the issue of a private parking ticket.Six private parking companies were suspended from requesting DVLA data in 2015.

Railways: North of England

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Written Statement on 9 December 2015, HCWS369, whether the new franchisees referred to will be required to replace all Pacer trains on both the TransPennine Express and Northern franchises; and by what year all Pacer trains will be replaced on both franchises.

Andrew Jones: As we have made clear both publicly and in the House (UINs 5008 and 19363) all Pacer trains in service on the Northern Franchise will be withdrawn by the end of 2019.There are no Pacers in service with the TransPennine Franchise.

Railways

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department takes into account cancellation of services when considering the Office of Road and Rail estimated usage of stations.

Claire Perry: The Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR’s) Estimates of Station Usage statistics provide an estimate of the number of people entering, exiting and interchanging at the station. Entries and exits are estimated using ticket sales data, using the origin and destination of the ticket.As Great Britain does not have a fully gated rail network, a complete recording of passenger flows is not possible and as a result, it is not possible to tell whether a passenger has used their purchased ticket or not. Therefore, in the case of cancelled trains, ORR assume that the passenger has still used their ticket, potentially on a later service or via a different route.More information about how these statistics are compiled is available in the Estimates of Station Usage 2014-15 Methodological Report on the Office of Rail and Road website at http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates.

Railways: Kent

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential efficacy of the Transmarche Metro proposal connecting Kent with the Nord-Pas-de-Calais; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Government has made no assessment of a Transmanche Metro. The efficacy of a route would be for the market to determine.

Driving Tests: Complaints

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints about practical driving tests heard by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (a) were made by (i) men and (ii) women and (b) were found (i) in favour of and (ii) against the complainant; and how many such complaints were subsequently taken to the Independent Complaints Assessor in each year since 2009-10.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not record information about the sex of any complainant. Nor does it retain information about complaints made before 2011-12 about practical driving tests or cases referred to the ICA. Information it does hold is as follows:2011-12 1,080 complaints received – 42 upheld, 938 not upheld, 100 no outcome recorded2012-13 1,108 complaints received – 40 upheld, 1002 not upheld, 66 no outcome recorded2013-14 1,260 complaints received – 37 upheld, 1013 not upheld, 210 no outcome recorded2014-15 1,401 complaints received – 27 upheld, 1158 not upheld, 216 no outcome recorded2015- 16 1,351 complaints received – 37 upheld, 1174 not upheld, 140 no outcome recordedComplaints referred to the ICA2011-12 - 3 cases2012-13 - 9 cases2013-14 - 10 cases2015-16 - 4 cases

Taxis: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a cap on the number of private hire vehicles operating in London.

Andrew Jones: This Government does not intend to amend primary legislation to allow the number of private hire vehicles licensed in London or elsewhere to be restricted.

Driving Tests: Appeals

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many appeals on practical driving tests were (a) heard by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and (b) found (i) in favour of and (ii) against the appellant in each year since 2009-10.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has a complaints procedure, which is published on GOV.UK.Current law does not allow the test result to be overturned; the examiner’s decision is final.Complainants have the right to appeal if they think the examiner did not carry out their practical test in line with regulations.If the complainant lives in England and Wales, they have six months after the test date to appeal to the Magistrates court about the way the test was conducted. The Magistrates court can look at whether the test was carried out in accordance with regulations; however, it cannot change the result of the test. Should the Magistrates court find that the test was not conducted in line with regulations, it may offer a compensation payment or free retest.

Transport: Wales

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve major transport links between England and Wales.

Andrew Jones: The Government has the most ambitious programme of rail upgrades since Victorian times. It will introduce a new fleet of Intercity Express trains, cut journey times, increase the number of seats, and provide a more reliable service for commuters and people in England and Wales. Electrifying the Great Western Main Line from London to Swansea is a UK Government commitment which we will deliver to Cardiff within Control Period 5 and to Swansea as early as possible in Control Period 6.In addition the Government is providing £10.4m, in support of the Liverpool City Region Growth Deal, to fund the reinstatement of the Halton Curve which will enable passenger services from North Wales and West Cheshire to directly access Liverpool City Centre and Liverpool John Lennon airport for the first time in decades. The Halton Curve rail link will provide large economic benefits to the Liverpool city region and surrounding areas including North Wales.We are working closely with the Welsh Government on the development of the next Rail Investment Strategy to ensure that relevant English and Welsh priorities for rail investment in Control Period 6 are reflected.On the strategic road network, Highways England’s Pinch Point Scheme at the junction of the A55 and A483 trunk roads between Chester and Wrexham was completed in June 2015.This addresses significant traffic congestion problems at this junction near the border with Wales and related road safety problems, especially during peak periods, and will help to stimulate economic growth.The Government’s first ever Road Investment Strategy has committed £15.2 billion investment for the strategic road network in England from 2015 to 2021. The next iteration of route strategies will inform investment decisions for the next Road Investment Strategy and Highways England will engage with stakeholders to identify future investment priorities.

Roads: Litter

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the powers local councils hold to prevent littering on roads.

Andrew Jones: The responsibility for clearing highway litter and sweeping carriageways is governed by the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Each individual highway authority is responsible for clearing litter on the roads for which they are responsible. In the case of some all-purpose trunk roads, the responsibility for clearing litter falls to the local district councils.

Aviation: Fuels

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with UK airlines on passing reductions in fuel costs on to passengers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government has regular discussions with the industry on a range of issues, and will continue to press for a fair deal for the travelling public.The airline industry is intensely competitive and there is no evidence of any market failure that would prevent cost savings being passed onto customers.

Railways: Infrastructure

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will press rail companies to use increases in revenue to invest and upgrade rail infrastructure.

Claire Perry: The railway is funded by both taxpayers and passengers. Network Rail own the infrastructure, not the train operators. The government is using the increased revenue, which is paid in franchise premiums to the Department for Transport, to help fund Network Rail’s investment programme. This will see them spend over £38 billion in the period 2014-19 on maintaining and improving rail infrastructure, in the biggest and most comprehensive programme of railway modernisation since the Victorians.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the public are made fully aware beforehand of planned road works to be carried out by contractors on trunk roads and motorways which involve either lane or whole carriageway closures.

Andrew Jones: A range of communications activities are used to inform members of the public about road works taking place on major A roads and motorways, including information issued to the media and updates to pages on the Highways England and Traffic England web pages.In addition to this, letters are issued to organisations, businesses and communities affected directly by the works. Highways England will also undertake specific community and business-to-business meetings for larger scale closures within the local area of each project if required.As a standard, information and updates are issued a minimum of seven days in advance wherever possible.

Aviation: Sustainable Development

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the Government has not given financial and other support to British Airways' Green Sky project; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the potential cancellation of that project on the aviation industry's sustainable aviation agenda.

Andrew Jones: The Government recognises the strategic importance of supporting sustainable aviation fuels in order to reduce carbon emissions in the aviation sector, and drive the development of an advanced biofuels industry in the UK. Waste-derived fuels, such as those that the GreenSky project aim to produce, hold real potential for UK growth and jobs, as well as for our energy security and balance of payments.The GreenSky project was eligible to enter the Department’s recent Advanced Biofuel Demonstration Competition which has provided £25m of financial support to help develop sustainable biofuels. The competition attracted a wide range of strong proposals and following a thorough assessment process the GreenSky bid was unsuccessful.I have met with British Airways to discuss the GreenSky project. We will continue regular contact as British Airways pursue this excellent initiative to develop waste-derived jet fuel.The Transport Energy Taskforce, made up of a broad range of expert stakeholders, including British Airways, made recommendations last year, including making aviation biofuels eligible for rewards under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. We intend to include proposals on this in a public consultation this year.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information he holds on how many Volkswagen vehicles have been re-tested for emissions since September 2015.

Andrew Jones: The Department has retested three of the VW Group vehicles for which the UK provided type approval. These tests have confirmed that the extended test programme announced by the Secretary of State on 10 November can identify defeat device strategies. The testing of vehicles is underway and a report of the findings will be published in the spring.

Home Office

Police: Israel

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which police forces have imported policing-related equipment from Israel since 2010; and what equipment was so imported by each such force concerned.

Mike Penning: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The procurement of goods and services for police forces is a matter for Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables locally.

Passports: Applications

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any instructions have been issued to passport offices not to prioritise cases raised by a hon. Member to prevent queue-jumping.

James Brokenshire: No instructions have been issued to passport offices on the issue of prioritising cases raised by Hon. Members.

Community Engagement Forum

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 18865, who has attended each meeting of the Community Engagement Forum to date; and who has been invited to attend future meetings.

Karen Bradley: In his speech on countering extremism in July 2015, the Prime Minister said that he wanted to hear directly from all those in our society who are tackling extremism. The Community Engagement Forum is one of the ways the Prime Minister is doing this. The Forums provide a platform for a wide range of partners to share their experiences and learn from each other. Attendance at the Forums is fluid to ensure Ministers can hear from a wide range of partners. To date, the Community Engagement Forum has met on 13 October 2015 and 19 November 2015. The attendees have been from a wide range of backgrounds and were representatives of all parts of the UK.The following individuals attended the first meeting of the Community Engagement Forum on 13 October 2015David Cameron, Prime MinisterLord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for Countering ExtremismTheresa May, Home SecretaryLouise Casey, Department for Communities and Local GovernmentMax Chambers, Special Adviser on Home AffairsCamilla Cavendish, Number 10Brendan Threlfall, Number 10Arooj Shah, Councillor, St Mary’s Ward, OldhamSean Harriss, Chief Executive, Lambeth CouncilPaul Martin, Chief Executive, Wandsworth CouncilSheikh Musa Admani, Imam and Muslim chaplain, City University, LondonFareed Ahmad, Ahmadiyya Muslim AssociationFarooq Aftab, General Secretary, Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth AssociationMichael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of RochesterKhatun Sapnara, circuit judgeAina Khan, solicitorFiyaz Mughal OBE, Director, Faith MattersSadja Mughal OBE, Director, Jan TrustHaras Rafiq, Managing Director, Quilliam FoundationSara Khan, Co-founder and Director, InspireWahida Shaffi, Near Neighbours Coordinator; National Women’s Programme Lead, Christian Muslim ForumFaiza Vaid, Executive Director, Muslim Women’s NetworkAysha and Kiran Iqbal Patel, Directors, OdaraKamal Hanif OBE, Executive Head, Waverley School, BirminghamAlun Francis, Principal and Chief Executive, Oldham CollegeImam Qari Asim, Chief Imam, Leeds Makkah Mosque (was invited but unable to attend)The following individuals attended the second meeting of the Community Engagement Forum on 19 November 2015:Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Education Secretary and Minister for Women and EqualitiesLord Ahmad, Minister for Countering ExtremismLouise Casey, Independent review on isolated communitiesAlun Francis, Principal and Chief Executive of Oldham CollegeAina Khan, Head of Islamic Department, Duncan Lewis SolicitorsSajda Mughal OBE, Managing Director at Jan TrustMary Ney, Supporting Commissioner, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough CouncilSyima Aslam, Organiser of Bradford Literary FestivalFarook Yunus, Leader of Kumon Y’allSara Khan, Director and Co-founder of InspireShaukat Warraich, Chief Executive, Faith AssociatesAnil Bhanot OBE, Managing Trustee and Director of Hindu Council UKGillian Merron, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British JewsWilliam Nye, Secretary General of the General Synod of the Church of EnglandLord Singh of Wimbledon CBE, Director of the Network of Sikh OrganisationsChristine Fischer, Catholic Education ServicePascale Vassie, Executive Director, National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education (NRCSE)Martin Pratt, Director of Children, Schools and Families, Camden CouncilMatthew Coffey, Chief Operating Officer, OfstedPhil Champain, Director 3 Faiths ForumHer Honour Judge Khatun Sapnara, Circuit Judge East London Family Court and Kingston Crown CourtSue Robb, Head of Early Years, 4ChildrenThe next Community Engagement Forum is scheduled for 14 January 2016. The government is also engaging directly at ministerial level with representatives from community, faith and civil groups, and have engaged directly with both the Scottish and Welsh governments.

Passports

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports were processed by each Passport Office in the UK between 2010 and 2015.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 11 January 2016



I refer to the attached table which provides by calendar year the volume of passports issued by each passport office in the UK from 2010 to 2015.The number of passports issued by the Newport office dropped in 2012 and 2013 because it ceased to process postal applications during this time. Newport then restarted postal passport production in 2014.The number of passports issued by the Glasgow office dropped in 2011 because it also ceased to process postal applications during this time. However, Glasgow continued to utilise counter staff to process a small number of postal applications through the subsequent years.



Volume of passports issued
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.42 KB)

Asylum

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for how many asylum applications initially rejected by UK Visas and Immigration did applicants subsequently make further submissions which were more than 12 months old; how many such applicants submitted a request to be allowed to work in the UK; how many of those requests to work were rejected; and how long, on average, did it take for those accepted to be given documents confirming their right to work in each year since 2009-10.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office holds reportable information on the number of failed asylum seekers who submit a further submission and how long their case remained outstanding. Permission to work requests are documented on the immigration casework database, but the information is not extractable without interrogating thousands of individual records. Therefore, the information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Members: Surveillance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister's Written Statement of 4 November 2015 on the Wilson Doctrine, whether measures are in place to prevent the security services reading an hon. Member's correspondence by using unusual search terms likely to bring up parliamentary correspondence of particular hon. Members held as a result of the bulk collection of electronic data.

Mr John Hayes: The recent judgement of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal on the Wilson Doctrine details the safeguards in the Interception Code of Practice and the Security and Intelligence Agencies’ guidance for the protection of Parliamentarians’ communications.

Asylum: Finance

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refused asylum seekers were granted, continued on, or reinstated back onto, support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 after lodging an appeal with the First-tier Tribunal (Asylum Support) in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 11 January 2016



This information is not recorded centrally and is not readily available. It could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Nurses: Philippines

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to continue with the visa scheme which allows Filipino nurses to come to the UK to work on its current basis; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Tier 2 of the Points Based System for immigration - the skilled work route - allows non-EEA workers to fill graduate level occupations, and is the main route used by Filipino nurses wishing to work in the UK.In June 2015, the Government commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and jobs which require highly-specialised experts, but with sufficient flexibility to include high value roles and key public service workers. The MAC has now reported and the Government is currently considering the MAC’s advice.In October 2015, the Home Secretary agreed, exceptionally, to place nurses on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) as an interim measure, pending a full review of the evidence by the MAC. The MAC will advise separately on whether nurses should remain on the SOL by 15 February and we await their recommendation with interest. Skilled jobs which are not on the SOL may still qualify for Tier 2, provided the sponsoring employer has carried out a Resident Labour Market Test.

Large Goods Vehicles: Calais

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the new secure zone for British-bound lorries at Calais to be operational; and what steps are being taken to protect UK-bound lorries from attack before that time.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 11 January 2016



The new secure zone at Calais for UK-bound lorries which will provide a secure waiting area for 230 vehicles is expected to be completed in late spring 2016. In the interim, Border Force has worked with Calais port operator and introduced an interim secure freight circulation and waiting area for around 200 vehicles.The haulage industry is hugely important to UK trade and prosperity and Her Majesty’s Government regularly speaks with haulage industry representatives to listen to their concerns regarding the situation in northern France. The Government is funding improved security measures and port infrastructure to protect the travelling public, including HGV drivers, in the Calais area. This includes the introduction of security fencing around port perimeters and along the port approach roads at Calais port and at the Coquelles Eurotunnel site; and the introduction of new secure waiting zones for UK-bound HGVs at both locations.This forms part of the measures to reduce illegal migration in Northern France being delivered under the Anglo/French Declaration. In addition, the UK and French authorities also work closely to share intelligence to combat illegal migrant activity and organised immigration crime.

Detention Centres

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are held in each immigration holding or removal centre in the UK.

James Brokenshire: The table below shows the latest available information of the number of people detained in the detention estate as at 30 September 2015, by centre.People in detention as at 30 September 2015, by place of detentionBrook House IRC414Campsfield House IRC277Colnbrook IRC342Dover IRC249Dungavel IRC202Harmondsworth IRC601Morton Hall IRC386The Verne IRC509Tinsley House IRC112Yarl's Wood IRC386Colnbrook STHF21Larne House STHF6Pennine House STHF26Cedars PDA0Total 3,531IRC = Immigration Removal Centre, STHF = Short Term Holding Facility, PDA = Pre Departure Accommodation.The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within the Immigration Statistics release on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Detention Centres

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been re-admitted to an immigration holding or removal centre having been previously removed from the UK in the last three years.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not routinely collected and could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

Refugees: France

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has made to her French counterparts on the proposed construction of a new camp for migrants close to Dieppe.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 11 January 2016



The management of migrant camps in northern France is the responsibility of the French Government. The Home Office is in regular contact with the French authorities and will continue to engage with them on managing port security and dealing with the migrant pressures.We are not aware of any proposals to build a migrant camp in Dieppe.

Refugees: Calais

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funds the Government has provided for (a) humanitarian efforts and (b) security at the refugee camp in Calais in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 11 January 2016



As part of the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK committed to providing £3.6 million (or €5 million) per year for two years to facilitate the movement of migrants away from Calais by providing support and facilities elsewhere in France.Additionally, the UK has provided £530,000 (or €750,000) to fund a project to identify those in the camps at risk of trafficking and exploitation, and to provide them with appropriate support within the French system.Security at the camps in Calais is the responsibility of the French Government, and the UK Government has not committed funds for this purpose.

Detention Centres

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the greatest number of times is that a person has been admitted to an immigration holding or removal centre having been previously removed from the UK.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not routinely collected and could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

Refugees: Children

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies  of the proposal in December 2015 from Save the Children to relocate 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 11 January 2016



As the Prime Minister said to Parliament in December, we are looking again at the issue of bringing Syrian children to the UK. In any consideration we must ensure that our proposals are in the best interests of those children affected and do not inadvertently put children at additional risk.Our Syrian resettlement programme has already resettled vulnerable children as part of family groups, with over 1000 refugees resettled by Christmas.

Animal Experiments: Licensing

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many licences for experimentation with animals the Animals and Science Committee granted in the most recent year for which data is available.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

National Crime Agency: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to make an assessment of the performance of the National Crime Agency in its first year of full operation in Northern Ireland.

Mr John Hayes: Since 20 May 2015, the National Crime Agency has been operating with full powers in Northern Ireland. The Crime and Courts Act 2013 (National Crime Agency and Proceeds of Crime) (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 requires the Northern Ireland Policing Board to monitor the exercise of the functions of the National Crime Agency in Northern Ireland. The interim Memorandum of Understanding between the National Crime Agency and the Northern Ireland Policing Board states the Board is required, not later than six months after the end of each financial year, to issue a report relating to the policing of Northern Ireland for the next financial year. The report will include an assessment of the exercise of the functions of the NCA in Northern Ireland. It further requires the Director General of the National Crime Agency to attend the Northern Ireland Policing Board and, in order to assist them, the National Crime Agency is to provide, on a quarterly basis, performance reporting on the exercise of the NCA’s functions in Northern Ireland which will be aligned to the key threat areas in the National Control Strategy, as outlined in the NCA’s Annual Plan. The NCA is committed to playing its role in tackling serious and organised crime in Northern Ireland.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Palestinians

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Israeli government on the detention of children; and what steps he has taken to encourage that government to reduce the number of Palestinian minors held in Israeli prisons.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As I made clear on 6 January during a Westminster Hall debate, the UK remains concerned about the detention of Palestinian children in Israeli prisons.In 2012, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) funded an independent report on Children in Military Custody by leading British lawyers. FCO Ministers and the British Ambassador in Tel Aviv have spoken and written to both the Israeli Justice Minister and the Israeli Attorney General to urge that Israel addresses the report's recommendations. On 23 November 2015, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv again raised our concerns about the treatment of Palestinian minors in Israeli military detention with the Israeli Chief Military Prosecutor.We welcome recent improvements made by the Israeli authorities, including increasing the age of majority from 16 to 18 years old. However, we remain concerned at the number of Palestinian minors held in Israeli detention. We continue to push for further measures to ensure that international standards are upheld in regards to the treatment of Palestinian children detained.

Islamic State

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen international consensus on opposing Daesh and to build alliances to work to that end.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: My officials and I regularly hold bilateral and multilateral discussions with our partners to build and sustain the international consensus against Daesh. The UK is a leading member of the Global Coalition of 65 countries and international organisations, including many in the region, united to defeat Daesh through a long-term, comprehensive strategy.The UK has led efforts in the UN to rally the international community against Daesh. UN Security Council Resolution 2249, agreed in November 2015, underlines the international community’s united and unambiguous opposition to Daesh and its determination to defeat it.

Firearms and Terrorism: EU Action

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Foreign Secretary has had with the European Commission on its proposal to revise (a) the Framework Decision on Terrorism and (b) EU legislation on firearms.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has not discussed these dossiers with the European Commission, as they fall under the responsibility of the Home Department.

Islamic State

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on Daesh's funding channels and steps to tackle those channels.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Since we launched our campaign to defeat Daesh in the summer of 2014, the UK has frequently discussed with EU partners, both bilaterally and multilaterally, how we can cut off the resources that allow Daesh to operate. Recently, the UK has been working closely with our EU partners to implement EU sanctions against Daesh following the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2253. This includes sanctions against individuals involved in brokering oil deals between Daesh and the Asad regime. At the December Foreign Affairs Council, The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond) called for the EU to reinforce its efforts on terrorist financing. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (David Cameron) also reiterated at the December European Council the importance of rapid action against Daesh’s financing through asset freezes and other restrictive measures.

Islamic State: Oil

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken in identifying countries and individuals buying oil from Daesh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The majority of Daesh’s oil is refined and sold within the territory it controls. We have no evidence that foreign Governments are involved in buying oil from Daesh. But we do have evidence of individuals, including ones linked to the Asad regime, buying oil from Daesh. There is also some smuggling across borders in the region of oil from Daesh-controlled areas. The UK has led UN and EU efforts to make it illegal for states, individuals or companies to trade in oil or oil products with Daesh. UN Security Council Resolutions 2199 and 2253, which the UK helped pass, require countries to freeze Daesh’s assets and prohibit any person from making funds or economic resources available to Daesh. We continue to identify individuals to target under the UN and EU sanctions regimes. In September, for example, at our request the names of five British citizens fighting with Daesh were added to the UN’s sanctions list, and individuals involved in brokering oil deals between Daesh and the Assad regime have been sanctioned by the EU.

Islamic State

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to engage with young Muslim communities in order to tackle Daesh online propaganda.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Government frequently engages with young Muslim communities, both in Britain and around the world, to discuss how best to tackle Daesh’s propaganda. The Government is focused on amplifying and supporting credible voices to expose the true nature of Daesh; to undermine Daesh’s brand; and to highlight Daesh’s military and governance failures. In our role as co-chair of the Coalition Working Group on Strategic Communications we have established a Coalition Communications Cell in London. This will strengthen the capacity of governments in the region, increase cooperation among Coalition countries, and run strategic communications campaigns. Engaging with young Muslim communities will be essential if this work is going to be credible and have the desired impact.

UN Human Rights Council

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2015 to Question 17455, what clauses, in which documents provide the evidential basis that the Human Rights Council does not have a mandate to call for investigations into international humanitarian law.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Resolution 60/251, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006, established the Human Rights Council (HRC). The resolution is clear that the mandate of the HRC is to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms (operative paragraph 2) and address situations of human rights violations (operative paragraph 3). In terms of international law, it is only in relation to international human rights law that the HRC is mandated to make recommendations to the UN General Assembly (operative paragraph 5(c)). International humanitarian law is quite distinct from international human rights law and is not included in the mandate of the HRC.HRC resolution 5/1 adopted a further document commonly known as the “Institution Building Package”, which provided greater detail on the work and operation of the HRC. This also did not include international humanitarian law within the scope of the HRC’s general mandate.

Islamic State

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what additional support the Government is giving to Syriac Christian and Yazidi female battalions in the fight against ISIL.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK has not provided any ammunition or equipment to any groups in Syria. The Global Coalition has provided air support to the Syrian Democratic Forces (which include Syrian Christian members) in their fight against Daesh. The US is leading international efforts to support the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and has provided ammunition and other equipment. The UK is playing a full role in the Coalition air campaign in Syria and will work closely with the US and other Coalition allies to consider additional support to partner forces in Syria fighting Daesh, including the SDF. We recognise the situation is desperate for many communities within Syria and Iraq. We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Christians, Mandeans, Yazidis, and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population in Iraq and Syria. Ultimately, the best way of safeguarding minority rights in the region is by defeating Daesh and establishing peace and stability. The UK has been at the forefront of these efforts, and has a comprehensive strategy to deal with Daesh.

Spratly Islands: Sovereignty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Chinese government on the sovereignty of the Spratly Islands archipelago; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), expressed our concerns about the situation in the South China Sea most recently during his visit to Beijing on 5 January. He stressed the need to avoid raising tensions and underlined the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation. I set out the UK’s position during the Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Luxembourg on 5-6 November 2015.

Spratly Islands: Sovereignty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which areas of the Spratly Islands archipelago the Government recognises as part of the territory of (a) the Philippines, (b) Vietnam, (c) Malaysia and (d) Brunei.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UK takes no position on the sovereignty of the Spratly Islands or other disputed features in the South China Sea.

Syria: Christianity

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representation in the Vienna peace talks on the future of Syria it is planned Assyrian-Syriac Christians will have.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Members of all major communities of Syrian society – including Syrian Christians - participated at the Riyadh Opposition Conference in December 2015. The meeting participants agreed to form a delegation to negotiate with the Syrian regime representatives, in accordance with the Geneva Communiqué, under the auspices and guarantee of the UN and supported by the International Syria Support Group.

Nadiya Savchenko

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with his Russian counterpart the release of the Ukrainian MP Nadiya Savchenko.

Mr David Lidington: The UK Government believes that Nadiya Savchenko is being held illegally and has repeatedly called for her release. I have raised our concerns with the Russian Government at Ministerial and Ambassadorial level on multiple occasions, most recently with First Deputy Foreign Minister Titov during a visit to Moscow on 22 December.

Travel: Insurance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department takes to promote take-up of travel insurance by UK citizens travelling abroad.

James Duddridge: Encouraging British nationals intending to travel overseas to take out adequate insurance for their trip remains a crucial part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s ‘Know Before You Go’ communications campaign. We continue to run specific campaigns on this issue and to disseminate insurance messaging in our broader travel safety activity. We launched an insurance campaign as recently as 7 January, ahead of ‘Sunshine Saturday’ on 9 January, a travel industry initiative during which millions of people were expected to book a holiday abroad in 2016. Last year we issued proactive messaging on insurance in May, July and August, making use of social, print, online and other online media as well as our network of partners from, and with an interest in, the travel industry. Harnessing the influence of these partner organisations will continue to help us reach travellers with insurance messaging, which is why I urged our ‘Know Before You Go’ partners to continue working with us on this issue during an event I hosted at the FCO in December 2015.

India: Pakistan

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the progress made in recent talks between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are pleased that the governments of India and Pakistan agreed on 9th December 2015 to resume formal dialogue on a range of issues. We hope that a meeting between their Foreign Secretaries to work out the procedure for this dialogue can be arranged as planned and will be successful.

Africa

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when and where he plans to publish the Government's new Africa Strategy.

James Duddridge: The Strategic Defence and Security Review and UK Aid Strategy set out the government’s aspiration to deliver a more strategic and coordinated approach to Africa. Views on how best to do so continue to be canvassed in both the UK and Africa.

Honours

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2015 to Question 19413, if he will change the policy on awards offered by other countries to allow recognition of knighthoods awarded on the advice of the governments of Britain's Overseas Territories.

James Duddridge: Service given in and to Britain’s Overseas Territories may be rewarded by the conferral of a British award. These are included in the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List which forms part of HM The Queen’s New Year and Birthday Honours Lists. A knighthood awarded on the advice of the government of a British Overseas Territory is already recognised as it is a British award.There are no plans to change policy on awards offered by other countries.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain -including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was recently held in November 2015. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet its human rights obligations and to honour all conventions to which it is a party. We welcome the progress made by Bahrain on their reform programme particularly in the areas of youth justice, the establishment and increasing effectiveness of the Ombudsman’s office, the Prisoner and Detainees’ Rights Commission and the reformed National Institute of Human Rights. We continue to work with the Government of Bahrain to ensure momentum and progress on its reforms, for the benefit of all Bahrainis.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the number of political prisoners held in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain - including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was most recently held in November 2015. If we have specific concerns around convictions or sentencing, we raise these with the Government of Bahrain as part of our wider dialogue on human rights and reform.

Hasan Mushaima

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the continued detention and wellbeing of Hasan Mushaima.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of the case of Hasan Mushaima and have raised it with the Government of Bahrain. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments and to appropriately address all reports of ill-treatment of detainees. In parallel, we encourage all those with concerns about their treatment in detention to report these directly to the Ombudsman.

Saudi Arabia: Yemen

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the international legal implications of reports of Saudi Arabia bombing the Iranian Embassy in Sana'a; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Hammond: We are currently looking into unverified Iranian reports that a Saudi airstrike hit the Iranian Embassy in Sana’a. The Saudi government has denied that any such attack took place. The priority right now is for all parties to show restraint and responsibility in order to prevent the igniting of further hostilities. The British Government is urging all parties to show calm at this time and to work towards a de-escalation of growing tensions.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 January 2016 to Question 15523, when he last discussed alleged violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen with his Saudi counterpart.

Mr Philip Hammond: The UK government has regularly raised with the Saudi Arabian Government the need to comply with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen. I raised the issue of compliance with IHL during my October visit to Saudi Arabia. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 January 2016 to Question 15523, when he last reviewed alleged violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen.

Mr Philip Hammond: The UK keeps adherence to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) under constant review. The Ministry of Defence monitors alleged IHL violations, using available information, which in turn informs our overall assessment of IHL compliance in Yemen. We consider a range of information from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations. The UK government has regularly raised with the Saudi Government the need to comply with IHL in Yemen and we continue to engage with them on this. I raised the issue of compliance with IHL during my October visit to Saudi Arabia. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL. It is important that open and transparent investigations are conducted into all incidents where it is alleged that IHL has been breached. We welcome the public announcement by Saudi Arabia to establish a fact finding committee into the alleged airstrike on MSF mobile clinic in Taiz on 2 December.

Kashmir

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions were held during the recent visit to the UK by the Indian Prime Minister on Kashmir.

Mr Hugo Swire: I refer the hon. member to my answer of 23 November 2015 (PQ No 16855).

UK Membership of EU

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had in the Council of the EU as part of negotiations on the UK's membership of the EU on free movement of people in the EU and access to in-work benefits.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Government is negotiating reform of the EU and a new relationship for Britain with the EU to fix the aspects of our membership that cause so much frustration in Britain. Following a substantive and constructive discussion at the December European Council, Member States agreed to work toward ‘mutually satisfactory solutions’ at the February European Council.

Laos: Christianity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Laos on the treatment of the Christian minority in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: We raise human rights concerns on a regular basis with the Lao government both bilaterally and through multilateral fora. As part of Laos’ Universal Periodic Review process starting in January 2015, and the EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue in November 2015, we raised concerns regarding restrictions on the right to freedom of religion or belief. We will continue to look for opportunities to work with the Lao government to implement its human rights obligations and commitments, including those regarding respect for the rights of religious minorities.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 January 2016 to Question 15523, what assessment he has made of whether incidents of alleged violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen have been investigated fully by each party involved in that conflict.

Mr Philip Hammond: The UK’s support for military action is contingent on adherence to International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The Ministry of Defence monitors alleged IHL violations, using available information, which in turn informs our overall assessment of IHL compliance in Yemen. We consider a range of information from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations. We are also offering advice and training to Saudi Arabia to demonstrate best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with IHL. We are aware of reports on alleged violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) in Yemen by the Coalition and take these very seriously. We are also concerned by reports of alleged IHL violations by Houthi-Saleh and pro-government forces and again take these very seriously. The UK government has regularly raised with the Saudi Government the need to comply with IHL in Yemen and we continue to engage with them on this. I raised the issue of compliance with IHL during my October visit to Saudi Arabia. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL. It is important that open and transparent investigations are conducted into all incidents where it is alleged that IHL has been breached. We welcome the public announcement by Saudi Arabia to establish a fact finding committee into the alleged airstrike on MSF mobile clinic in Taiz on 2 December.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 January 2016 to Question 15523, what assessment he has made of the credibility of assurances by Saudi Arabia that it is in compliance with international humanitarian law in the conflict with Yemen.

Mr Philip Hammond: The UK’s support for military action is contingent on adherence to International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The Ministry of Defence monitors alleged IHL violations, using available information, which in turn informs our overall assessment of IHL compliance in Yemen. We consider a range of information from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations. We keep compliance under constant review. We are also offering advice and training to Saudi Arabia to demonstrate best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with IHL. I raised the issue of compliance with IHL during my October visit to Saudi Arabia. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL.

Saudi Arabia: Human Rights

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my statement of 5 January on Saudi Arabia, Official Report, column 93. The British Government is concerned about the executions of 47 people over the New Year. We have raised our concerns with the Saudi authorities. I did so most recently on 4 January. We use the strength of our relationship to encourage reform.

Libya: Politics and Government

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We welcome the signature of the Libyan Political Agreement on 17 December which paves the way for a new Government of National Accord in Libya. The security situation remains fragile and it is vital that the new government is formed quickly to tackle the threats from Daesh and people smuggling.

Argentina: Foreign Relations

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for the UK's relations with Argentina of the presidential election in that country in November 2015.

Mr Hugo Swire: It is no secret that we have long hoped for a more mature bilateral relationship with whomever succeeded the Kirchner administration.There are undoubted economic benefits for both of our countries, if President Macri can help Argentina to overcome years of mismanagement.But let me assure this House that our position on the Falklands will not change.

China: Politics and Government

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the recent arrests of lawyers and opposition activists in China.

Mr Hugo Swire: We remain concerned that a number of Chinese lawyers and activists detained since July have not been released.The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymeade and Weybridge, (Mr Hammond), raised this issue with the Chinese Foreign Minister last week, requesting clarification about the situation of those detained.

Morocco: Visits Abroad

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he next plans to visit the Kingdom of Morocco.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I led a trade delegation of 40 companies to Morocco in November, reconfirming our close bilateral relationship and demonstrating the potential to expand our trade links.I have no firm plans to return at present, but am pleased that the Moroccan Ministers of Energy and Justice are visiting the UK later this month.

Libya: Politics and Government

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security and political situation in Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We welcome the signature of the Libyan Political Agreement on 17 December which paves the way for a new Government of National Accord in Libya. The security situation remains fragile and it is vital that the new government is formed quickly to tackle the threats from Daesh and people smuggling.

Northern Ireland Office

World War I: Anniversaries

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans the Government has to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the Battle of the Somme in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office has a co-ordinating role as part of the Government’s overall efforts to commemorate the centenaries of World War One events. Our aim is to ensure that these events, including for the Battle of the Somme, are commemorated in Northern Ireland in a manner which promotes reconciliation and enhances prospects for a peaceful, shared future.Officials from my Department sit on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Programme Board for First World War Centenary Commemorations. They also have regular contact with officials in the Northern Ireland Executive and sit on the Northern Ireland First World War Centenary Committee chaired by Jeffrey Donaldson MP.I receive regular updates on this work and both the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and I will be in attendance at a number of events being planned to mark the Battle of the Somme centenary. These events will take place in Northern Ireland and France.

World War I: Anniversaries

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she has had discussions with Ministers in the Irish government on marking the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme this year; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The centenary commemorations of the First World War, including the Battle of the Somme, and the wider decade of 1912-1922 offer an important opportunity to reflect on the shared history between the United Kingdom and Ireland.The Prime Minister is committed, along with the Taoiseach, to commemorating our past with mutual respect and understanding. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and I are working with Ministers in the Irish Government to mark the events of this decade. I have discussed these matters on a number of occasions with them.Marking anniversaries such as the Battle of the Somme in a spirit of historical accuracy, mutual respect and inclusiveness can support efforts to build a peaceful and shared future for everyone in Northern Ireland.Officials from my Department have regular contact with officials in the Irish Government regarding their programme of events to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, which was announced in November 2015, and I receive regular updates on this work.

Easter Rising: Anniversaries

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Northern Ireland Office has been invited by the Irish government to take any part in events planned to mark the centenary of the Easter Uprising in Dublin; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: One of the Northern Ireland Office’s key objectives for the commemoration of the decade of centenaries of 1912-1922 is to work with the Irish Government to promote greater understanding of our shared history. I understand that the Irish Government launched its programme for the centenary of the Easter Rising on 12 November 2014. To date, the Northern Ireland Office has not received any invitations to attend the planned events in Dublin.

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people of each gender work in her Department.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The number of men and women working in my Department as of January 2016 is as follows:Male – 57Female – 69

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many complaints the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has heard since the establishment of the inspectorate.

Nick Boles: The Employment Agency Standards inspectorate was established in 1995, following the abolition of licensing for employment agencies and employment businesses. It was previously known as the Employment Agency Licensing Office, which was established in 1981/82.The table attached sets out the number of complaints in relation to employment agencies in Great Britain from 1985 onwards. Figures are not available prior to 1985/6.



Complaints to Employment Agencies in GB from 1985
(Word Document, 14.31 KB)

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many inspections were carried out by the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) inspectorate into possible breaches of employment agency regulations in each of the last five years; how many breaches of regulations were identified in those inspections; how many people the EAS barred from operating employment agencies following those inspections; and how many of each of those cases related to employment agencies for supply teachers.

Nick Boles: The table below sets out the total number of cases completed by the EAS in the last five years. These figures relate to both complaints and inspections as we do not differentiate between cases which arise as a result of a complaint or an inspection.YearTotal number of cases (both complaints and inspections)2010/111,2012011/121,0502012/131,0572013/147602014/15626The table below sets out the total number of breaches of regulations identified by EAS in the past five years, both as a result of complaints and inspections.YearTotal number of breaches (found as a result of complaints or inspections) 2010/112,0652011/122,1462012/131,4792013/143202014/15186The Employment Agencies Act 1973, as amended in 1994, makes provision for the Secretary of State, on application to an Employment Tribunal, to be able to seek to prohibit persons from carrying on, or being concerned with carrying on of any employment agency or employment business. The current list of prohibited persons can be found on www.gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/403653/employment-agency-standards-inspectorate_prohibited_people_list__4_.pdfThe table below sets out the number of people the EAS prohibited following inspections in the past five years: YearTotal number of prohibitions 2010/1182011/1202012/1322013/1402014/151One of the prohibitions above relates to a person who operated a supply teachers agency.

Apprentices

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 11065, how many of the 2 million apprenticeships created in the last Parliament were in the (a) retail, (b) skilled labour and (c) construction sector.

Nick Boles: Apprenticeships are categorised according to the Sector Subject Area of the Apprenticeship. Table 1 shows Apprenticeship starts between 1 May 2010 and 30 April 2015 by Sector Subject Area.There is no Sector Subject Area for skilled labour.Table 1: Apprenticeship Starts by Sector Subject between May 2010 and April 2015Sector Subject AreaTotal starts May 2010 to April 2015Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care35,900Arts, Media and Publishing6,100Business, Administration and Law712,200Construction, Planning and the Built Environment85,500Education and Training30,300Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies324,800Health, Public Services and Care538,300Information and Communication Technology79,000Languages, Literature and Culture-Leisure, Travel and Tourism81,900Preparation for Life and Work-Retail and Commercial Enterprise482,300Science and Mathematics1,400Unknown-Total 2,377,500 Notes:1) Source is the Individualised Learner Record2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.3) "-" represents a base value less than 50.4) Q4 2009/10 covers May 2010 to July 2010; Q1-3 2014/15 covers August 2014 to April 2015; 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 academic years cover August to July.

Apprentices: Retail Trade

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value was of Government subsidies and financial incentives to retail companies to encourage the creation of apprenticeships in the retail sector since 2010.

Nick Boles: Information on the value of apprenticeships funding allocation is not broken down by business type. Since May 2010, there have been 504,900 apprenticeship starts in the retail sector subject area.In England, the Government provides funding for training where employers hire an apprentice and currently fully funds apprenticeship training for 16 -18 year olds and up to 50% of apprenticeship training for over 19s.

Foreign Investment in UK: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate how many foreign direct investment projects were developed in Scotland originating from other EU countries in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; and how many jobs were (i) created by each of those projects and (ii) safeguarded by those projects.

Anna Soubry: Below is a breakdown of successful foreign direct investment projects into Scotland from EU countries in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 together with the estimated number of jobs created and safeguarded, as recorded by UK Trade & Investment.ProjectsNew JobsSafeguarded jobs2012-13272,1104912013-14331,9609682014-1534883648Source: UKTI FDI projects database.

Effect of UK Equity Markets on the Competitiveness of UK Business Review

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government has taken to follow up the recommendations in the Kay Review of UK equity markets and long-term decision making, published in July 2012.

Anna Soubry: The Department published a detailed progress report on the implementation of the Kay Review in October 2014.The Government’s Productivity Plan, “Fixing the Foundations”, published in July 2015, emphasised the central importance of encouraging long-term business investment as part of an ambitious vision to boost productivity in the UK economy. In particular, the Plan welcomed an initiative by several of the largest institutional investors to develop an Action Plan to support and challenge companies to invest for long-term productivity and growth. The Government is engaging with the Investment Association as it takes forward this work, and is also considering what further steps may be appropriate to encourage a culture of long-term investment on the part of UK companies and their shareholders.

West Ham United Football Club: Sportsgrounds

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has had discussions with the London Legacy Development Corporation about EU state aid rules and West Ham United Football Club's occupancy of the Olympic Stadium.

Anna Soubry: My Department has had discussions with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) about papers, prepared by the LLDC, for the Competition Directorate General of the European Commission. These papers explained the contractual arrangements relating to West Ham United Football Club's use of the Olympic Stadium.I can confirm that the Commission considered these papers and reached a preliminary assessment that the contractual arrangements did not involve state aid and decided not to pursue their investigation any further.

Post Offices

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress he has made on making the Post Office a front office for Government; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The Post Office is the largest provider of counter-based Government services in the UK. In 2013 it won a cross-Government framework contract which allows all Government Departments and their Executive Agencies to contract with the Post Office easily and cheaply. Key contracts with the DVLA and the Passport Office have been moved onto this new framework, as has the Post Office Card Account contract which has been extended to at least 2021.The Post Office is well-placed to bid for and win important contracts, with its extensive geographic reach and key role in the heart of communities. Government cannot simply award contracts to the Post Office; services must be procured competitively to ensure value for taxpayers’ money.

Apprentices: Qualifications

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if his Department will collect data on the prior qualification level of new apprentices.

Nick Boles: The prior qualification survey is the current method for collecting robust information on the prior qualification levels of apprentices. The most recent publication is based on the 2012/13 survey data. We plan to publish a similar report based on the 2013/14 prior qualifications survey data in 2016.

European Fighter Aircraft: Saudi Arabia

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which export licences since 2008 relate to BAE Systems' Eurofighter Typhoon sales to Saudi Arabia; how much each such licence was for; whether each such licence is extant or has expired; and whether each such licence was used in full or in part.

Anna Soubry: Since 2008 six licences have been granted that relate to the sale of complete Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to Saudi Arabia. Four of these licences are linked. Where licences expired before they were fully exhausted the exporter submitted a new application to cover those aircraft not exported under previous licences. The values therefore relate to exports licensed rather than actual exports.Typhoon transfers per year are declared in the UK Strategic Export Controls Annual Reports and can be found on GOV.UKYearValue of Licence(s)Licence Extant or Expired?Licence used in full or in part 2009 £1,476,666,648 Expired Used in part2011£1,555,833,315ExpiredUsed in part2011£129,652,776ExpiredUsed in full2013£1,564,666,650ExpiredUsed in part2015 2015£1,564,666,650 £129,652,776Extant ExtantUsed in part Used in part

Employment Tribunals Service: Fines

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to commence the provisions on the imposition of financial penalties on respondent employers who fail to pay an employment tribunal award in section 150 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.

Nick Boles: We expect to commence the financial penalty provision in section 150 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 from April 2016.

Apprentices: Taxation

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19529, if he will publish the internal modelling his Department undertook prior to finalising the details of the apprenticeship levy.

Nick Boles: The results of the modelling can be found in HM Treasury’s Spending Review and Autumn Statement which was published in November 2015: page 140 shows HMT’s assessment of the income which will be raised by the levy in each year of the parliament. The Spending Review and Autumn Statement can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479749/52229_Blue_Book_PU1865_Web_Accessible.pdf .

Apprentices

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what modelling his Department has conducted on future growth of apprenticeship numbers in individual sectors of the UK economy.

Nick Boles: Apprenticeships are paid jobs and their availability is employer demand-led, so we do not publish future forecasts.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will suspend all licences permitting UK-produced arms to be sold to Saudi Arabia.

Anna Soubry: All export licence applications are carefully assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account all relevant factors at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued for any country if to do so would be a breach of the Criteria.

Business: Education

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure greater collaboration between businesses and education to promote skills for potential future careers.

Nick Boles: We are strengthening business influence in schools, further education, the skills system, higher education and in giving young people a broad experience of the careers options open to them. Our education reforms are ensuring that young people leave school or college with everything they need to get on and succeed in life. The new Careers and Enterprise Company aims to help schools and colleges in England to prepare young people aged 12 to 18 for the world of work, and increase the level of employer engagement in schools and colleges across England.In further education we have given employer-led Local Enterprise Partnerships significant local influence over the skills system. National Colleges are being established by employer-led partnerships to design and deliver specific higher level training, and we are working in direct partnership with employers in reforming technical and professional education to ensure the new system provides the skills most needed for the 21st century economy. In trailblazer apprenticeships, employers develop the standards themselves.In higher education, the government fully supports and actively encourages collaboration between universities and business. Partnership is needed to ensure graduate skills and employability meet the needs of business, to maximise the university sector’s capabilities in business-led research and innovation, and to realise the benefits of a strong role for Higher Education Institutions in the development of their local economies.

UK Commission for Employment and Skills

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his plans are for the future of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.

Nick Boles: As announced in the 2015 Spending Review, in order to prioritise funding to allow the core adult skills participation budgets to be protected in cash terms, savings are being made from the supporting budgets including the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES).Whitehall Departments will be withdrawing their funding for UKCES during the 2016-17 financial year. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is working with UKCES to manage the implications of this decision.

Apprentices: Finance

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the risk of employers waiting until the new digital voucher funding mechanism is in place before taking on new apprentices.

Nick Boles: The current apprenticeships funding mechanism is being reformed to deliver a high-quality, employer-led system. In the transition period, we will be continuing to use the current system (which has delivered strong apprenticeships growth) and work with employers to help them take on apprentices. We will monitor take-up prior to the levy introduction.

Department for International Development

Syria: Refugees

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2015 to Question 19712, how much funding her Department provided to (a) Jordan, (b) Iraq and (c) Israel to assist with the effect of the refugee crisis in Syria in each year since 2011-12.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.1 billion to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.UK support has reached hundreds of thousands of people in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. We are supporting refugees to remain in host countries in the region, and supporting host countries to accommodate them. The table below provides a breakdown of DFID funding spent through partners to respond to the impact of the Syria crisis in Jordan, Iraq and Israel since 2011/2012.DFID Funding for Humanitarian/Development Activities in Jordan, Iraq and Israel in response to the Syria refugee crisis (excluding funding to the Conflict Security and Stabilisation Fund) Financial YearJordanIraqIsrael 2011/2012£0£0£02012/2013£17,650,797£2,302,769£02013/2014£68,882,422£11,223,595£02014/2015£47,572,254£5,563,464£0DFID does not provide funding for projects in Israel, which is a high-income country, and therefore ineligible for Official Development Assistance.

Department for International Development: UK Membership of EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU.

Middle East: Overseas Aid

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much is allocated in her Department's operational plan budget for projects in (a) Jordan and (b) Iraq for 2015-16.

Mr Desmond Swayne: In the financial year 2015/16 DFID’s latest Operational Plan budgets are £47 million in Jordan and £40 million in Iraq.

Department for International Development: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many people of each gender work in her Department.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID provides quarterly reports to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The information provided at 31 December was as follows:GenderHeadcountMale914Female1152Total2066

Department for Education

Schools: Pedestrian Crossings

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to provide additional funding for local authorities to provide school crossing patrols.

Nick Gibb: The Government has no plans to make additional funding available specifically for school crossing patrols. The Education and Inspection Act 2006 (section 508A) puts a duty on local authorities to promote and establish a strategy for developing a sustainable transport infrastructure that meets the needs of children and young people in their area. This strategy should address such issues as enhanced child safety and security. School Crossing Patrols are one option that can contribute to the fulfilment of this duty. It is for local authorities and schools to determine if and how school crossing patrols are funded from the resources made available by central government.

Schools: Design and Technology

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to promote design and technology in state-funded schools.

Nick Gibb: Design and Technology (D&T) is compulsory in the national curriculum in England at key stages 1 to 3. By introducing a new, more rigorous D&T curriculum in 2014 and reforming the subject’s GCSE and A level qualifications, we have taken important steps to make D&T an exciting subject, paving the way for young people to progress into careers in a range of engineering and design fields.

Religion: Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on religious education as a compulsory part of the school curriculum.

Nick Gibb: The government firmly believes in the importance of religious education (RE).RE is a compulsory subject for all pupils up to the age of 18 in state funded schools. For schools without a religious character, the RE curriculum needs to reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are, in the main, Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain.

Food Technology

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will estimate how many pupils are being taught how to cook in the 2015-16 academic year.

Nick Gibb: The specific information requested is not held by the Department for Education.Under the National Curriculum, as updated in September 2014, cooking is now compulsory for pupils in Key Stages 1-3 in maintained schools. Children are taught about food, nutrition and healthy eating and how to cook a repertoire of dishes.

Foster Care: Council Tax

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on local authorities offering council tax discounts to in-house foster carers but not to independent or agency foster carers looking after children in care from that authority; and what information she holds on which authorities have such arrangements.

Edward Timpson: The arrangement of foster care placements is the duty of local authorities. The regulatory framework for the provision of foster care placements is clear that local authorities must have access to sufficient placements to meet the needs of the children they look after.The framework referred to above is clear that foster carers should not be economically disadvantaged as a consequence of carrying out their role on behalf of the local authority.There is no specific provision for foster carers in council tax legislation. However, local authorities are able to grant council tax reductions to any individuals or groups as they see fit.

Children: Day Care

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many childcare providers waited longer than 25 weeks to receive registration from Ofsted in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Registering new childcare providers is a matter for Ofsted. Her Majesty's chief inspector will be writing to the hon. Member about this matter. A copy of that letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Department for Education: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people of each gender work in her Department.

Nick Gibb: As at 31 December 2015, there were 1468 men and 2026 women working in the Department for Education.

Leadership, Equality and Diversity Fund

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what grants have been made by the Leadership Equality and Diversity Fund; and for what purpose each such grant has been made.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Leadership Equality and Diversity Fund supports groups of schools to design and deliver bespoke leadership activity to help increase the diversity of those leading England’s schools. Programmes can target any of the nine protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010. The protected characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.In 2015-16 there are 40 projects. The full details and purpose of each project is available in the document, “Leadership Equality and Diversity Fund” published at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/480857/leadership_equality_and_diversity_schools.pdf

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding has been given to Local Safeguarding Children Boards in each year since 2010; and whether her Department plans to institute a nationally-defined funding formula for such boards.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) are funded through contributions from their partners as agreed locally, including local authorities, health services and the police. LSCBs publish details of these contributions in their annual reports, but these figures are not collated centrally. The Government does not provide ring-fenced funding for LSCBs.On 14 December 2015, the Prime Minister announced that there would be a review of LSCBs. This review has now commenced and will report by the end of March 2016.

Social Services: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which children's services departments have been subject to multi-agency inspections since 2010; and what the results were of each such inspection.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which children's services departments are rated as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requiring improvement and (d) inadequate; and which such departments are subject to intervention measures.

Nick Gibb: Ofsted have run a number of pilot inspections since 2010:5 multi-agency child protection inspection pilots;2 joint (with CQC) children looked after inspection pilots;2 Integrated inspection pilots; and1 Joint targeted area inspection, undertaken in November/December 2015.Following the pilot in November/December 2015, Ofsted intends to conduct up to six Joint Targeted Area Inspections by the summer of 2016.There are 152 local authority children’s services departments. Of these three are rated ‘outstanding’, 53 are rated ‘good’, 39 are rated ‘adequate’, 75 are rated ‘Requires improvement’ and 21 are rated ‘Inadequate’. A table that has been attached to this answer sets out the most recent Ofsted rating for each local authority and indicates whether the authority is subject to intervention for its children’s social care services. All local authorities rated as ‘Inadequate’ are subject to intervention measures.



Table of Ofsted Inspection Ratings as at 11 1 2016
(Word Document, 177 KB)

Ministry of Justice

Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 14466, if he will publish the minutes of the 21 October 2015 meeting of the Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody.

Andrew Selous: The next meeting of the Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody, which I will chair, will take place on 1 March 2016. The minutes of the Board held on 21 October 2015 will be agreed by members at that meeting and then published.

Prisons: Buildings

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the status is of each prison building and site for prisons closed since May 2010.

Andrew Selous: Since May 2010 we have closed 18 prisons. This includes two partial closures (HMP Camp Hill, HMP Brockhill) and two former prisons (Morton Hall and The Verne) which have been re-roled into Immigration Removal Centres. The closure of these, and other uneconomic prison places, delivered £170m in savings between 2011-12 and 2014-15.Two former prisons, Wellingborough and Camp Hill, have been retained as a contingency measure to deal with unexpected events such as a larger than projected increase in the prison population. This allows us to have reserve capacity without the cost of keeping them fully operational.The status of each of the closed prisons is as follows:Former PrisonStatusHMP AshwellSoldHMP Lancaster CastleLease handed backHMP Latchmere HouseSoldHMP WellingboroughReserve capacityHMP Bullwood HallContracts exchangedHMP CanterburySoldHMP GloucesterSoldHMP KingstonSoldHMP Shepton MalletSoldHMP ShrewsburySoldHMP BlundestonContracts exchangedHMP DorchesterSoldHMP NorthallertonSoldHMP Camp Hill (part of HMP Isle of Wight)Reserve capacityHMP Brockhill (part of HMP Hewell)SoldHMYOI ReadingNot yet on the marketThe Secretary of State for Justice announced on 9 November that we will sell former HMYOI Reading.

Prisoners: Gender Recognition

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to monitor the number of trans prisoners; and what definition his Department uses of a trans person.

Caroline Dinenage: As the Minister for Prisons, Andrew Selous MP, committed to the House on 20 November 2015, NOMS is currently looking at ways to facilitate the collection and recording of information relating to transgender status as part of our wider review of care and management of transgender offenders. This is within the restrictions of the GRA which means if someone has a GRC they don't have to disclose former gender. The Equality Act 2010 clearly sets out the definition.

Crime: Victims

Keir Starmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government has taken to transpose the EU Directive on Victims' Rights into UK law.

Mike Penning: The Ministry of Justice fully transposed the EU Victims’ Directive 2012/29/EU (the Victims’ Directive) on 16 November 2015. In conjunction with existing legislation, the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims' Code) is the main mechanism used to transpose the Victims’ Directive into the law of England and Wales.The UK government is responsible for transposing the Directive in England and Wales. The Devolved Administrations are also required to implement the Directive under their devolved powers and we have been working closely with them to do so.The transposition table which sets out how we have implemented the Victims’ Directive through the Victims’ Code can be found at:http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1817/pdfs/uksitn_20151817_en.pdfIn the Queen’s Speech we made a commitment to bring forward measures to increase the rights of victims of crime. Further detail on our plans will be published in due course.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 1.143 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what assessment he has made of the extent of a fraud and claims culture in the motor insurance industry; and what evidence of such a culture he provided to HM Treasury before publication of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Dominic Raab: The Government received and analysed data from numerous sources when formulating the announcement in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. The quoted figures were arrived at by combining published industry estimates along with data from government and other sources.Government data, compiled by the Compensation Recovery Unit at the Department for Work and Pensions, indicates that claims volumes remain at historically high levels, some 50% higher than in 2006. Over the same period motor accident rates have fallen by around 26%. This is clear evidence that the system is in need of further reform, which is why on 25 November, in his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced tough new measures to control costs and reduce the number of unnecessary whiplash claims.The Government will consult on the detail of the new reform package in due course and the consultation document will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

Ministry of Justice: Pest Control

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has paid to (a) Rentokil and (b) other pest control companies in the last 12 months.

Mike Penning: In the last 12 months for which data is available (December 2014 – November 2015), £91,172.45 was paid directly to Rentokil Initial Plc. Rentokill provide a range of services to the department in addition to pest control. £66,961.94 of the total was paid to Rentokill Initial Pest Control, and in the same period £525.88 was also paid to Killgerm Group Ltd for pest control services, a total of £67,487.82.This has reduced from £1,503,530.40 spent with Rentokil Initial Plc in 2010, of which £109.923.50 was with Rentokil Initial Pest Control. An additional £3,529.44 was paid to pest control companies in that year, making a total of £113,452.94.

Ministry of Defence

Military Bases: Members

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether a hon. Member is regarded under paragraph 3.1.2 of JSP441 Defence Records Management Policy and Procedures as a person entitled (a) to access records which provide evidence of the activities that took place, (b) establish what happened and (c) understand why decisions were taken in relation to numbers of attendees on training courses, costs maintenance improvement and development costs, building of storage facilities, travel and accommodation costs in relation to (i) MOD Grantown-on-Spey, (ii) MOD Llanrwst, (iii) MOD Fairbourne and (iv) MOD Crickhowell; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: There is no general entitlement to access to Ministry of Defence (MOD) records for Honourable Members, other than through the relevant legislation. In respect of records related to the MOD units at Grantown-on-Spey, Llanrwst, Fairbourne and Crickhowell, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 4 December 2015 to Question number 18405.



Armed Forces Training
(Word Document, 16.24 KB)

Armed Forces: Furs

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many bearskins and other associated headgear containing real fur his Department purchased in each of the last 10 years.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected lifespan of each bearskin and other associated headgear containing real fur used by his Department is before replacement is required.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on research and development to find a synthetic alternative to bear pelts for the making of bearskins and other associated headgear containing real fur in each of the last 10 years.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on purchasing bearskins and other associated headgear containing real fur in each of the last 10 years.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the prevailing animal welfare standards of the bear cull in Canada that provides pelts for the making of bearskins and other associated headgear containing real fur by use by the British armed forces.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not buy bear pelts; it buys ceremonial caps direct from suppliers who source pelts from animals culled as part of a programme to manage the wild population licensed by the Canadian government. Animal welfare standards relating to the bear cull are a matter for the Canadian government. The MOD also purchases coney skin (rabbit fur) for the Royal Engineers’ and Royal Signals’ busby and fox fur for the Royal Horse Artillery, Kings Troop Officers’ busby. The current contract requires a commitment to sustainable procurement.Depending on usage and maintenance, bearskin busbys can last for up to 50 years. The coney skin and fox fur busbys have indefinite lifespans if properly maintained.Calendar YearCost of Bearskin Busby Headgear (£)Financial YearCost of Coney Skin Busby Headgear (£)Cost of Fox Fur Busby Headgear(£)2005Not held2005-061,53202006Not held2006-0701,4722007Not held2007-0800200831,3192008-099,1734062009148,8912009-10002010131,8862010-1100201190,8222011-1208612012126,0872012-131,779861201365,1082013-14002014136,6712014-1510,2571,8992015149,3792015-162,5580All figures are rounded to the nearest pound.Calendar YearNumber of Bearskin Busby HeadgearFinancial YearNumber of Coney Skin Busby HeadgearNumber of Busby Headgear made of Fox Fur 2005Not held2005-06402006Not held2006-07022007Not held2007-08002008352008-0922120091952009-100020101582010-11002011992011-120120121262012-13412013632013-140020141272014-1520220151222015-1650 Historically the MOD has undertaken a number of trials on synthetic alternatives to bear skin but none of these matched the properties of the natural material. No trialling has taken place since 2007. Information about costs of these trials is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In 2012 the Ministry of Defence loaned a sample bearskin to the animal rights organisation, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, to aid its research and development programme on a synthetic alternative.There has been no research and development carried out to find a synthetic alternative to coney skin or fox fur.

Military Bases

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2015 to Question 18551, (a) whether all records retained under JSP441 Defence Records Management Policy and Procedure by training establishments comply with paragraphs 1.24 and 1.25 of that Policy and (b) decisions to retain records relating to (i) individual training establishments infrastructure costs and (ii) numbers attending training courses have been approved by the Departmental Records Officer as meeting the statutory requirements set out in paragraph 1.31 of JSP441; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Departmental Record Officer (DRO) sets down overall policy and guidance (in JSP 441), establishes a governance structure through the normal departmental chain of command so that there are officers responsible for records in each unit, and works with the providers of ICT and Education within the Ministry of Defence to ensure that there is an appropriate set of tools and training packages. The DRO gives particular focus to those areas of Defence where the records may merit permanent preservation. Areas related to the routine business of Defence are typically managed at local level by trained staff working to DRO policy and guidance.

Veterans: Mesothelioma

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give veterans affected by mesothelioma the choice between receiving a traditional War Pension or a lump sum payment that is comparable to the awards given to civilians under the Government's Diffuse Mesothelioma Scheme.

Mark Lancaster: Mesothelioma is a devastating disease affecting not only the individual diagnosed, but their family and loved ones. It is important to ensure we offer the right support for those veterans affected.As I announced on 16 December 2015, veterans who were diagnosed on or after that date with diffuse mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos during their military service prior to 6 April 2015 would have the option of receiving a lump sum of £140,000 under the War Pension Scheme. For those who elect to receive the lump sum, this will take the place of the current arrangements of payment of a regular War Pension, any Supplementary Allowances and dependant's benefits.The necessary legislative changes need time to be brought into effect. Subject to the agreement of the Privy Council, these changes will be made on 11 April 2016.Those diagnosed on or after 16 December 2016, who elect to receive the lump sum before legislation has been introduced, will in the interim be able to receive the War Disablement Pension and any Supplementary Allowances until the lump sum is paid. Any such payments would then be deducted from the lump sum which will be paid following the introduction of the legislation on 11 April 2016.The Veterans Welfare Service is on hand to help claimants and their families understand the details of the options available.

Ministry of Defence: Databases

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.10 of JSP441 Defence Records Management Policy and Procedures, whether his Department's practice on data retention which means it can only provide information relating to (a) numbers of training courses, attendees costs, (b) maintenance, improvement and development costs, (c) accommodation, (d) travel costs and (e) building of storage facilities for only the preceding year meets the requirements of that paragraph; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: In areas of routine business, where there is unlikely to be need for permanent preservation of information and potential accession to The National Archives, decisions on whether to keep or destroy will be taken locally by the Senior Information Officer, Information Manager, or their staff. They will seek to balance the perceived future value of the information against the cost of retention, based on the departmental guidance in JSP 441 and elsewhere, and the training they have received

Ministry of Defence: European Union

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department are working on matters related to (a) European policy, (b) the future of Europe, (c) reform of the EU, (d) the renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the EU, (e) the EU referendum and (f) the consequences of the EU referendum; how many full-time equivalent staff are working on such matters; what the (i) staff and (ii) other cost of such work is; what proportion of that work is undertaken by such staff on (A) communications, (B) strategy and (C) policy; whether his Department has established any specific unit or units to deal with those matters; to whom such (1) staff and (2) units report; whether his Department has issued guidelines to staff on those matters; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Julian Brazier: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in the UK - so we get a better deal for the UK and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

Ministry of Defence: Golf

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many golf courses his Department owns; and what plans his Department has to sell such property.

Mark Lancaster: There are currently 11 operating golf courses, one pitch and putt centre and one driving range on Ministry of Defence (MOD) land.Of these 11 courses seven are on land leased by MOD that have no other direct connection to the Department, one is occupied by the United States Air Force and three are military encroachments.The majority of the golf courses located on MOD land are linked to sites that will be addressed as part of the MOD Estate Footprint Strategy to release surplus land.Once the future use of any site has been agreed, MOD will look at how to make best use of land that will be retained or bring to the market sites that are being vacated. This will include the potential release of the golf course element.As part of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation's ongoing work to rationalise the Defence estate the courses at DMRC Headley Court and Ballykinler are being examined for potential disposal through the Department's standard disposal process. Ballykinler and RM Condor are no longer in use as golf courses.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the future of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Penny Mordaunt: The Royal Fleet Auxiliary will continue to provide front line logistical support that is scaled to meet our current and projected commitments. In addition, a shipbuilding programme is under way to deliver four TIDE Class tankers as well three new Future Solid Support Ships announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

Armed Forces: Females

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in states which allow women to engage in close combat operations on effective implementation of that policy.

Penny Mordaunt: The Prime Minister and the Defence Secretary stated on 20 December 2015 that they would like to see all roles in the Armed Forces opened up to women in 2016 and further physiological research currently under way will inform a final decision in mid-2016.The Ministry of Defence is working closely with other nations who have lifted the exclusion including Australia and the United States. This engagement includes collaboration between scientific and research bodies as well as on policy and training development. The UK research programme is investigating the long-term health effects of UK combat requirements which will benefit both male and female personnel.I discussed this issue at length with counterparts in the US when I visited Washington in September 2015.

Defence School of Transport

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many HGV drivers were trained at the Defence School of Transport, Leconfield, in the last 12 months; and what the maximum student capacity of that school was in the last year.

Penny Mordaunt: The term 'HGV' (Heavy Goods Vehicle) is no longer used and has been replaced by 'LGV' (Large Goods Vehicle).The training year runs from 31 March until 1 April.As at 31 December 2015, a total of 1,057 military personnel had been trained as LGV drivers at the Defence School of Transport, Leconfield during this training year. The annual capacity for these courses is 1,303 personnel.

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people of each gender work in his Department.

Mark Lancaster: The requested information, as at 1 October 2015, is provided below:MaleFemaleUK Regular Armed Forces136,75015,400Future Reserves 2020 Volunteer Reserve28,7404,540Ministry of Defence core civilian personnel22,14014,970Full analyses of UK Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence civilian diversity statistics are published on a regular basis and can be found at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-2015https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-civilian-personnel-quarterly-report-2015

Navy: Mediterranean Sea

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of Royal Navy search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: The Royal Navy has supported one dedicated Search and Rescue operation in the Mediterranean Sea over the past five years, which was Op WEALD in 2015. This constituted the UK's contribution to the international efforts in response to the migrant crisis. The additional cost of the Royal Navy support to this operation was £2.58 million, which was funded through the UK Aid Budget.

Syria: Food Aid

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will direct the armed forces to drop emergency food aid to the under siege town of Madaya in Syria.

Penny Mordaunt: A joint UN/Syrian Arab Red Crescent/International Committee of the Red Cross operation delivered humanitarian assistance, including food, non-food items, and medical supplies, to Madaya on 11 January. With land access available there are no plans for the RAF to deliver humanitarian assistance by air.

Reserve Forces: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the outcome was of the recruitment campaign organised by the Reserve Forces and Cadet Association of Northern Ireland in Summer 2015.

Mr Julian Brazier: The Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association for Northern Ireland (RFCA NI) is responsible for an ongoing campaign to recruit adult instructors for the Air Training Corps and Army Cadet Force in Northern Ireland. This is a highly effective campaign which has resulted in full staffing. Further details of the activities of RFCA NI can be found at the following address: http://www.reservesandcadetsni.org.uk/The Ministry of Defence is responsible for recruitment into the Reserve Forces. For information on the numbers of Reserve personnel stationed in Northern Ireland I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 October 2015 to Question 11478 to the hon. Member for East Antrim (Mr Wilson).http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-10-12/11478/



Reserve Forces: Northern Ireland
(Word Document, 14.37 KB)

Syria: Military Intervention

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many oil refinery workers have been killed as a result of UK airstrikes in Syria; and whether such workers are classed as civilian.

Penny Mordaunt: Oil workers operating oil production facilities in Daesh-controlled areas are treated as civilians, unless they directly participate in hostilities or otherwise can be shown to be members of Daesh. The UK takes appropriate measures to reduce the risk of collateral damage and we have a robust process in place to positively identify targets before we conduct airstrikes. To date there have been no reports of civilian casualties as a result of RAF airstrikes in Iraq or Syria.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of moving pensioners who receive less than £156.65 per week onto the new state pension from April 2016.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners who receive a lower weekly pension payment than the new state pension of £156.65.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the costs and benefits of compensating people on the current state pension who will not reach the level of the new state pension.

Justin Tomlinson: The new State Pension reforms have been carefully balanced to ensure that the new system will not cost more than the existing system. Therefore, extending the new system rules to existing pensioners (while maintaining cost neutrality) would see many pensioners facing a reduction in their state pension entitlement.We have no current assessments of the costs of extending the new State Pension reforms to existing pensioners. Information from 2011 is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223172/cost_140_a_week_state_pension.pdfA comparison between what current pensioners receive and £155.65 a week is not appropriate because the existing State Pension system is made up of multiple components.Data regarding the total weekly amount of benefit, by category of pension, for the state pension caseload can be found here:http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/sp/amtgp/cat/a_carate_r_amtgp_c_cat_may15.htmlThe new State Pension introduces a fundamental simplification of the state pension system and we have no plans to extend the new State Pension reforms to existing pensioners. The Guarantee Credit in Pension Credit will continue to provide a safety net for existing and new pensioners.

Employment and Support Allowance: Death

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make it its policy to collect data on the cause of death of individuals who have flowed off incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance and employment and support allowance whose date of death was at the same time; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel: The Department has no plans to collect this data.

Department for Work and Pensions: UK Membership of EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.

Priti Patel: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU.

Social Security Benefits: English Language

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19711, if he will provide equivalent data for the financial years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Priti Patel: The data is not available in financial years (April-March) only in academic years (August-July). I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 5 January 2016 to her previous question 20685

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit: Dupuytren's Contracture

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when work first began in his Department on consideration of the proposal to include Dupuytren's contracture in the list of industrial injuries recognised for disablement benefits.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answers of 8 December 2015 to Question 18144 and 22 December 2015 to Question 19937 on Dupuytren's contracture, what his Department's timetable is for considering whether to add that condition to the list of industrial injuries disablement benefit discussions.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential cost of including Dupuytren's Contracture in the list of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit diseases.

Justin Tomlinson: Work began in May 2014 following publication of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Committee’s report on Dupuytren’s Contracture. It is expected that a decision whether or not to add it to the list of prescribed diseases will be made early this year and will take account of the potential costs involved and other relevant factors.

Universal Credit: Repayments

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 20339, what the repayment requirements are for universal credit advance payments; and whether interest is charged on those payments.

Priti Patel: Universal Credit (UC) Advance Payments of benefit are recovered from the UC award over a period of six months. In exceptional circumstances recovery can be deferred for up to 3 months.No interest is charged on advance payments of benefit.

State Retirement Pensions: Preston

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many men born in November 1954 resident in Preston parliamentary constituency have been notified of changes in the age at which they will receive the State Pension; and on what date his Department contacted those men with that information.

Justin Tomlinson: We do not have the information requested at this level.I can confirm that in February 2012, 375,000 letters explaining the State Pension age changes were sent to men and women (across Great Britain and Overseas), with a date of birth in the range 06/10/1954 to 05/04/1955.

Housing Benefit: Supported Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what organisations he has met to discuss the introduction of capping of housing benefit for tenants in supported housing at the local rate of local housing allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-ministers-hospitality-and-giftsThe Department has regular meetings with relevant organisations and will meet with them to discuss how the application of local housing allowance rates to social sector tenants, including those living in supported housing, will work as the policy is developed.

AWE: Safety Measures

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the investigation conducted by the Office for Nuclear Regulation into the operability and availability of fire detection systems at the Atomic Weapons Establishment has been completed.

Justin Tomlinson: The investigation conducted by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) into the operability and availability of fire detection systems at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) was completed in August 2014.The investigation was instigated after AWE reported two events to ONR during February 2014 related to fire alarm and detection system failures, one concerning a facility at the Aldermaston site and the other a facility at the Burghfield site. Investigations of these events by AWE uncovered a configuration issue with a system in a third facility.ONR’s investigation identified concerns regarding the competency of the maintainers, the delivery and recording of the maintenance and the configuration of the fire alarm and detection systems with regard to their required safety function.ONR subsequently wrote to AWE requesting an improvement programme to address these matters, and has since been monitoring AWE’s progress against a comprehensive improvement programme agreed between ONR and AWE. AWE advised ONR in October 2015 that the improvement programme had been completed. This was confirmed by ONR following an intervention in December 2015.

AWE: Explosives

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Health and Safety Executive was notified of any cases of non-compliance with explosives labelling regulations at the Atomic Weapons Establishment during 2015 on which action was subsequently taken to address this situation.

Justin Tomlinson: No notifications of non-compliance with explosives labelling regulations were received from AWE during 2015, and therefore no regulatory action was required.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his contribution of 20 June 2011, Official Report, column 52, on the Pensions Bill [Lords], that the Government would consider transitional arrangements, what transitional arrangements the Government considered.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government considered retaining the original timetable for increasing the qualifying age for Pension Credit minimum guarantee to 65 by 2020 for a temporary period, in addition to alternative timetabling options for increasing the State Pension age to lessen the impact on women facing the largest increases relative to the original timetable. The transitional arrangements brought forward by the Government capped the maximum delay at 18 months rather than two years, at a cost of £1.1 billion.

Universal Credit: Housing Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2015 to Question 16608, how many potential overlapping payments between the Universal Credit Live Service and housing benefit have been identified since April 2013.

Priti Patel: The information could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Eligibility

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to notify universal credit claimants of the changes to their entitlement taking effect from April 2016.

Priti Patel: We will notify all claimants who we expect to be directly affected by the change, offering tailored support depending on the claimant’s circumstances.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18534, what assessment she has made of the effect on the forward planning work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit of the timetabling and notice provided of the decisions on the funding allocation for that Unit from March 2016; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Defra is in regular contact with the National Wildlife Crime Unit about its work. I met the head of the unit on 3 December and Defra officials attended both the Governance Board and the Tasking and Coordination Group for the unit on the same date.

Natural Capital Committee

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) membership and (b) terms of reference will be of the extended Natural Capital Committee.

Rory Stewart: Professor Dieter Helm was reappointed as Chair of the Natural Capital Committee on 9 December 2015. The recruitment process to select the other members of the Committee is underway. The new Committee’s remit will be to advise Government on the development of an integrated 25 year environment plan to protect and improve our natural capital. The detailed terms of reference for the new Committee will be finalised once the Committee members are appointed.

Fisheries: Quotas

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes to fishing quotas announced at the December 2015 Fisheries and Agriculture Council meeting on the long-term sustainability of fish stocks in UK waters.

George Eustice: My provisional assessment of the effect of the changes to fishing quotas, agreed at the December 2015 Fisheries and Agriculture Council, is that 24 of the fish stocks in which the UK has an interest will be fished at or below maximum sustainable yield levels in 2016. This is an increase of 8 (50%) compared with the outcome of the 2014 negotiations.Stocks fished at, or below, maximum sustainable yield in 2015:1. North Sea haddock2. West of Scotland haddock3. Nephrops IV in Fladen ground4. North Sea plaice5. North Sea sprat6. North Sea autumn spawning herring7. Irish Sea herring8. Herring in Division VIa (North)9. Herring VIIa Celtic Sea and South of Ireland10. Herring in subareas I, II, V and sub areas Vi and VII11. Western Channel sole12. Horse Mackerel IIa. IVa. Vb. VIa. VIIa-c. e-k. VIII13. Whiting VII b-k14. Blue ling in Division Vb. and Subareas VI and VII15. NE Atlantic spurdog16. Roundnose grenadier in Vb, VI, VIIAdditional stocks which will be fished at, or below, maximum sustainable yield in 2016:17.North Sea cod18.Nephrops in the Firth of Forth19.Nephrops in Moray Firth20.North Sea, West of Scotland and Rockall saithe21.Western Channel plaice22.Rockall haddock23. Megrim in Divisions IVa and Via24. Irish Sea sole

Environment Protection

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the development of the Government's 25 year plan for the environment.

Rory Stewart: Defra Ministers and officials are working closely with other Government departments that influence the health and management of our environment, including the Department for Communities and Local Government, on the development of the framework for the 25 year Environment Plan. The framework is due for publication in spring 2016.

Fishing Catches

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is she taking to achieve an end to overfishing by 2020.

George Eustice: The UK Government was instrumental in ensuring that the EU Common Fisheries Policy contains a legal requirement requiring that by 2020, at the latest, fishing rates are set at levels that will deliver maximum sustainable yield (MSY).At the European Union Agriculture and Fisheries Council in December 2015, I maintained the pressure and successfully secured a 50% increase in the number of fish stocks, in which the UK has an interest, that will be fished at or below MSY levels in 2016.Stocks fished at, or below, maximum sustainable yield in 2015:1. North Sea haddock2. West of Scotland haddock3. Nephrops IV in Fladen ground4. North Sea plaice5. North Sea sprat6. North Sea autumn spawning herring7. Irish Sea herring8. Herring in Division VIa (North)9. Herring VIIa Celtic Sea and South of Ireland10. Herring in subareas I, II, V and sub areas Vi and VII11. Western Channel sole12. Horse Mackerel IIa. IVa. Vb. VIa. VIIa-c. e-k. VIII13. Whiting VII b-k14. Blue ling in Division Vb. and Subareas VI and VII15. NE Atlantic spurdog16. Roundnose grenadier in Vb, VI, VIIAdditional stocks which will be fished at, or below, maximum sustainable yield in 2016:17.North Sea cod18.Nephrops in the Firth of Forth19.Nephrops in Moray Firth20.North Sea, West of Scotland and Rockall saithe21.Western Channel plaice22.Rockall haddock23. Megrim in Divisions IVa and VIa24. Irish Sea sole

Agriculture: Trade

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on British agriculture of the Nairobi Package agreed by the World Trade Organisation on 19 December 2015.

George Eustice: The tenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation concluded with a historic deal for agriculture, specifically on export competition rules. The outcome included the elimination of export subsidies for agricultural products and disciplines on measures with equivalent effect. This should provide greater confidence for UK agriculture producers by reducing the scope for volatility on global markets and constraining the ability of other countries to use measures such as export finance to support their exporters.

Hunting

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to establish a commission to examine the issue of hunting foxes with dogs before bringing forward proposals for a vote in the House on that issue.

Rory Stewart: The Government has no plans to establish a commission to examine the issue of hunting foxes with dogs. However, the Government continues to stand by its manifesto commitment to give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote, with a government bill in government time.

Caves: Access

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of legal provision relating to rights to grant or withhold access to caves.

Rory Stewart: Defra has made no assessment of the effectiveness of legal provision relating to rights to grant or withhold access to caves. Cavers may use particular cave systems, where use has been traditional, or where the landowner allows or has given specific permission for cavers to do so.

Flood Control

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings and communication Ministers and senior civil servants have had with Ruimte voor de Rivier regarding long-term flood prevention since June 2010.

Rory Stewart: Ministers and senior civil servants have not met or communicated with Ruimte voor de Rivier regarding long term flood prevention since June 2010.The Environment Agency has a good and highly valued relationship with the Dutch flood agency, Rijkswaterstaat, and has been actively engaging with them for many years on coastal, and asset management issues. This has been both bilaterally and through mutual networks. There is a strong exchange of knowledge between our organisations, supported by a non-legal Memorandum of Understanding. This also supports mutual cooperation during an incident, where appropriate.The Environment Agency was also grateful for the wider Dutch support offered during the 2013/14 flooding in the UK, with support from Dutch pumps and levee inspectors.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Floods

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new homes have been built in National Flood Zone 3 in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Department’s latest land use change statistics provide estimates on the proportion of new residential addresses created in national flood zone 3. The latest figures show that in 2013-14, 7% of new residential addresses were created in the national flood zone 3. This equates to an estimated 9,100 homes being built in national flood zone 3 in 2013-14.Prior to the publication of 2013-14 figures land use change statistics were calculated using a different methodology so they are not directly comparable to the 2013-14 figures. Figures produced using the previous methodology were last published for the calendar year 2011 and are provided in the attached table.National planning policy is designed to protect people and property from flooding. Local planning authorities are expected to avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding by directing development away from areas at highest risk.



National Flood Zone 3
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.22 KB)

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans a second round of Growth Deals for Local Enterprise Partnerships.

James Wharton: Through Growth Deals agreed to date with each of the 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships, £7.7billion of Local Growth Fund has been awarded from 2015-16 to 2020-21. The recent Spending Review re-confirmed the Government’s commitment to a £12 billion Local Growth Fund between 2015-16 and 2020-21 and that Local Enterprise Partnerships will continue to receive core funding from the Government to deliver growth in their communities. We will be announcing further details on the Local Growth Fund in due course.

Housing: Floods

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on housebuilding on floodplains.

Brandon Lewis: National planning policy is designed to protect people and property from flooding. Local planning authorities are expected to avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding by directing development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. The policy is underpinned by planning guidance which makes clear that new house building should not be permitted in functional floodplains where water has to flow or be stored in times of flood.Mitigation measures to make development acceptable in flood risk areas can be made a requirement of any planning consent.All local planning authorities are expected to follow the strict tests set out in national planning policy and guidance. Where these tests are not met, national policy is very clear that new development should not be allowed.

Housing: Floods

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on the guidance given to local authorities regarding housebuilding on floodplains.

Brandon Lewis: The Department, together with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, holds regular discussions with the Environment Agency on a variety of matters including to ensure the safeguards in national planning policy to protect people and property from flooding are being applied. Between April 2011 and March 2015 over 99% of proposed new homes had planning outcomes in line with Environment Agency advice where they had objected because of concerns about flood risk and had been made aware of the decision.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether a local authority's revenue surplus from off-street car parking may be used for general purposes or is restricted in the same manner as an on-street parking revenue surplus.

Mr Marcus Jones: A local authority’s revenue from civil enforcement in off-street car parks is restricted and can only be spent on off-street parking, transport and environmental improvements.

Housing: Floods

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities follow the guidance given by the Environment Agency on the building of houses on floodplains.

Brandon Lewis: National planning policy on flooding must be taken into account by local planning authorities in preparing their local plans and we are clear they should take advice from the Environment Agency and other relevant flood risk management bodies in doing so.Additionally, a local planning authority must, as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015, consult the Environment Agency on planning applications for development proposed on a floodplain and, in determining the application, they must take into account their advice. As an added safeguard, if a local planning authority wants to approve an application that the Environment Agency has objected to because of concerns about flood risk, they must first refer it to the Secretary of State to consider whether it should be ‘called-in’. Between April 2011 and March 2015 over 99% of proposed new homes had planning outcomes in line with Environment Agency advice where they had been made aware of the decision.

Housing: Construction

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what incentives his Department provides to encourage local authorities to build retirement and adapted housing.

Brandon Lewis: We are committed to increasing the diversity and choice of housing for older people. We know that the right housing can help people to have the lifestyle they want in later life, and help people stay healthier for longer. The National Planning Policy Framework requires local authorities to plan for a mix of housing based on current and future demographic trends, and the needs of different groups in the area, including older people and disabled people. In March 2015 we strengthened our planning guidance further to encourage local authorities to recognise the importance for planning for older people’s housing.Local authorities are eligible to bid for capital grant funding for specialised housing for older people, including adapted housing through the Government’s Affordable Homes Programme, which includes funding for supported housing and the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund.To help older people stay healthier for longer in their existing home the Government provides the Disabled Facilities Grant, which is part of the Better Care Fund. This capital grant for adaptations is paid to local authorities in England to fund the provision of home adaptations (including stair lifts, level access showers and, in some instances, home extensions) to help disabled people to live as comfortably, safely and independently as possible in their own homes for longer. In the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced that funding for the Grant will rise to over £500 million by 2020. Annual allocations for the Disabled Facilities Grant for each year until 2020 will be announced in due course.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the total area of the direct commissioning site at Northstowe has planning permission for housing development.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the total area of the direct commissioning site at Connaught Barracks has planning permission for housing development.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the total area of the direct commissioning site at Daedelus Waterfront has planning permission for housing development.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the total area of the direct commissioning site at Lower Grayling Well has planning permission for housing development.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for how many new homes planning permission has been granted on the direct commissioning sites at (a) Daedelus Waterfront, (b) Lower Grayling Well, (c) Connaught Barracks, (d) Northstowe and (e) Old Oak Common.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when the first home will be completed on the direct commissioning site at (a) Daedelus Waterfront, (b) Lower Grayling Well, (c) Connaught Barracks, (d) Northstowe and (e) Old Oak Common.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the total area of the direct commissioning site at Old Oak Common has planning permission for housing development.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the size is of the area of land available for the direct commissioning site for housing at Lower Grayling Well.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the size is of the area of land available for the direct commissioning site for housing at Daedulus Waterfront.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the size is of the area of land available for the direct commissioning site for housing at Old Oak Common.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the size is of the area of land available for the direct commissioning site for housing at Northstowe.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the size is of the area of land available for the direct commissioning site for housing at Connaught Barracks.

Brandon Lewis: The planning process is ongoing for these sites. This will be completed in due course working closely with the local communities and local authorities.

Floods: Lancashire

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many £500 grants were provided to help households affected by flooding in each district and unitary authority in Lancashire between 5 December 2015 and 7 January 2016; and how much funding has been received by each of those councils to provide such grants up to 7 January 2016.

James Wharton: To help local authorities in Lancashire and their community’s recovery from the impacts of Storms Desmond and Eva, between the 5 December 2015 and 8 January 2016, my Department has provided eligible local authorities in Lancashire with a total of £5,620,652. Further payments will be made in due course where appropriate.This funding includes in advance payments in the form of Communities and Business Recovery Scheme, business rate relief and council tax discount payments. Disbursement of this funding will be a matter for local authorities to determine.

Housing: Overcrowding

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many children in England have lived in overcrowded homes in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Rented Housing: Overcrowding

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of homes in the social rented sector have been classified as overcrowded in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Department publishes estimates of the numbers and proportions of homes in the social rented sector that have been classified as overcrowded. The proportion was estimated as 7.3% in 2010/11 and as 6.2% in 2013/14. These figures are from the English Housing Survey and are available at:Annex Table 1.13 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/469214/2013-14_Section_1_Households_tables_and_figures_FINAL.xlsx

HM Treasury

Non-departmental Public Bodies: Debts

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of debt was in each arms-length government body in each of the last six years.

Greg Hands: HM Treasury publishes the total level of public sector liabilities for previous financial years in the Whole of Government Accounts (WGA). This sets out the total level of central and local government liabilities, which includes any debt owed by their arm’s length bodies (ALBs).HM Treasury does not however hold information on the specific levels of debt attributable to each ALB.This information can be found in the individual accounts of each body, and is aggregated in the accounts of the ALB’s parent department. WGA contains a list of all such bodies consolidated into the account.Where ALB's are permitted to borrow, they must do so in accordance with the restrictions and controls set out by HM Treasury in Consolidated Budgeting Guidance and Managing Public Money.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken is  by (a) Concentrix and (b) HM Revenue and Customs to process each tax credit claim adjustment; and what guidance there is in Concentrix's contract on how long it should take to process each tax credit claim adjustment.

Mr David Gauke: The average time taken by Concentrix to carry out a tax credit intervention – from writing to the claimant, receiving and investigating any response, through to closing the case and making any adjustment to the award - is 91 days. The average time taken by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is 64 days, but the figures are not comparable because the profiles of cases worked by Concentrix and by HMRC are different.Concentrix are required under their contract with HMRC to complete 80% of High Risk Change of Circumstances interventions (these are a subset of Concentrix’s caseload consisting of the highest risk cases) within 75 days and 100% of such cases within 90 days. So far in 2015/16 they have closed 95.5% of these interventions within 75 days.

Mortgages: Occupied Territories

Hilary Benn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice the Financial Conduct Authority provides to UK banks and building societies offering mortgages on properties in the Occupied Palestinian. Territories.

Harriett Baldwin: Under the definition of a regulated mortgage contract in article 61(3)(a) of the Financial Services and Markets Act (Regulated Activities) Order 2001, passed by Parliament, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not regulate mortgage activities where the mortgaged property is not in the UK.

Credit Unions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many credit unions were subject to intervention by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme in 2014 and 2015.

Harriett Baldwin: The Financial Services Compensation Scheme regularly publishes details of the interventions it has undertaken to protect depositors. The Scheme announced that it had protected the savings of members in five credit unions which entered default in 2014; and six in 2015.

Economic Growth

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2015 to Question 19047, what discussions he has had with the Office for Budget Responsibility on including the potential effect of recent Conservative Party manifesto commitments in its forecasting of economic growth.

Harriett Baldwin: The economy forecast produced by the OBR reflects current Government policy. As laid out in the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011, ‘Where any Government policies are relevant to the performance of that duty, the Office - must have regard to those policies, but may not consider what the effect of any alternative policies would be.’ The OBR note as risks to the fiscal forecast any significant policy commitments that are not quantifiable.

Child Tax Credit

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to enable his Department's child tax credit department to answer the enquiries of hon. Members electronically.

Mr David Gauke: The use of standard email is insecure and therefore in order to protect customers’ information, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not use it when dealing with sensitive personal and financial information. However, HMRC does answer MPs enquiries electronically in cases where the response does not include any sensitive customer data.

Electronic Commerce: VAT

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2015 to Question 17211, how much revenue has been recovered by actively targeting operational and intelligence activity to tackle the issues of online VAT fraud in the last six months.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is actively targeting operational and intelligence activity, as well as a range of other options, to tackle this issue. The work is ongoing and therefore the information requested is only available at disproportionate cost. As part of the approach to tackling this particular type of tax evasion HMRC launched the e-marketplace campaign, the results of which are available on gov.uk.

Child Tax Credit: Correspondence

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much correspondence the child tax credits enquiry department receives by fax each day.

Damian Hinds: We do not hold information on the number of faxes received on child tax credits within HMRC.

Treasury

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide a list of all the departments within HM Treasury.

Harriett Baldwin: Treasury Group – Bodies can be found in the published Report and Accounts. The latest Annual Report and accounts for 2014-15 is published on line and can be viewed in the link below:-https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-treasury-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015

Immigration: Economic Situation

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2015 to Question 19017, what information his Department holds on the reasons why the Office for Budget Responsibility does not view changes to net migration as one of the key risks or sensitivities to the medium term forecast.

Harriett Baldwin: As set out in the Charter for Budget Responsibility, the OBR is required to provide an analysis of the risks surrounding the economic outlook. As a result in every Economic and Fiscal Outlook the OBR sets out the risks and uncertainties surrounding the economic and fiscal forecast. The Treasury does not hold information on the reasons why the Office for Budget Responsibility did not include net migration as one of the key risks or sensitivities to the medium term forecast.

Concentrix

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department spent on the outsourcing of its compliance review to Concentrix; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: The value of the contract was estimated at between £55m and £75m at contract award. Payments to Concentrix are based on the results they deliver, taking into account the quality and accuracy of their work.Concentrix are not paid for any cases where the decision they make is overturned.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Department of Energy and Climate Change: UK Membership of EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming our relationship with the EU.

Mobile Homes: Energy

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she plans to publish a response to the consultation carried out by her Department between July and September 2014 into energy issues affecting park homes including energy supply and use of the application of energy efficiency measures.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 11 January 2016



The Department issued a call for evidence, rather than a formal consultation, in 2014 and there was no plan to publish a formal response. We welcomed the evidence submitted which confirmed information already available.

Nuclear Power

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what support her Department provides for the development of small modular nuclear reactions.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government recognises the potential of small modular reactors (SMRs) and is keen to place the UK at the heart of SMR development. In order to support this aim, my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in November that Government will launch a competition to identify which SMR design would offer best value for development in the UK. DECC has commissioned a techno-economic assessment of SMRs which will contribute to our evidence base in this policy area. It will report as soon as possible.

Department of Energy and Climate Change: Stoke on Trent

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many jobs in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

Andrea Leadsom: Neither the Department, nor any of its accountable statutory bodies, have had jobs abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent in the specified time period.

Fossil Fuels

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with the oil and gas industry on the relationship between maintaining safety standards and reducing the cost of production.

Andrea Leadsom: The regulation of the safety of offshore oil and gas installations in external waters is a matter for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), working as part of the Offshore Safety Directive Regulator partnership. DECC and the Oil and Gas Authority are in regular contact with the industry and HSE regarding a range of offshore infrastructure issues, including the relationship between maintaining safety standards and reducing the cost of production. Together, we aim to ensure that industry resources are directed to maximising safe, sustainable production.

Methane

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what initial assessment she has made of the implications of the incident at Porter Ranch, California, for safety and engineering procedures and standards in the UK onshore unconventional gas extraction sector.

Andrea Leadsom: In the UK, we have an entirely different regulatory system to the US.We have over 50 years of experience in safely conducting surface activities and constructing onshore gas wells, regulated by the Health & Safety Executive and Environment Agency.Our tough regulations ensure on-site safety, prevent water contamination, mitigate seismic activity and air pollution. To reinforce our already robust regulations, the Infrastructure Act 2015 introduced a range of further requirements that must be met before an operator can carry out hydraulic fracturing in a responsible, sustainable and safe manner. These include the assessment of environmental impacts, groundwater monitoring, community benefits and prohibiting hydraulic fracturing in specified protected areas.The UK has one of the best track records in the world when it comes to protecting our environment while also developing our industries – and we’ve brought that experience to bear on the shale gas protections.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Papers

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a timetable for disclosure of Cabinet papers for the 1986-1988 period.

Matthew Hancock: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 07 January 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Cabinet papers for the period 1986-1989 1988have already been transferred to the National Archives. Transparency is at the heart of this Government's agenda and we are publishing unprecedented amounts of information.

Matthew Hancock: Cabinet papers for the period 1986-1989 1988have already been transferred to the National Archives. Transparency is at the heart of this Government's agenda and we are publishing unprecedented amounts of information.

Cabinet Papers

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what communications his Department has had with the National Archives on the release of Cabinet papers for the 1986-1988 period.

Matthew Hancock: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 07 January 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Cabinet papers for the period 1986-1989 1988 have already been transferred to the National Archives. Transparency is at the heart of this Government's agenda and we are publishing unprecedented amounts of information.

Matthew Hancock: Cabinet papers for the period 1986-1989 1988 have already been transferred to the National Archives. Transparency is at the heart of this Government's agenda and we are publishing unprecedented amounts of information.

Royal Family

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who in the Government takes decisions on what information is shared with which members of the Royal Family.

John Penrose: The decision to share Government information lies with individual Ministers and their departments as stated in Chapter 11 of the Cabinet Manual. Government information is managed in accordance with the Lord Chancellor's Code of Practice on the Management of Records issued under section 46 of the Freedom of information Act 2000.

Charities: Audit

John Spellar: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of financial controls and reporting systems for charities in response to the liquidation of Kids Company.

Mr Rob Wilson: In the light of the events surrounding Kids Company the Cabinet Office has launched a detailed review of how it makes grants under Section 70 of the Charities Act. The review is considering the criteria used to assess risk and is developing a proposal for a new and more rigorous approval process. The review will also take into account recommendations made by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee and the Public Accounts Committee.

Employment: Newham

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) jobs and (b) residents in full-time employment there were in the London Borough of Newham in each year from 2010 to 2015.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Full-Time Employment
(PDF Document, 118.24 KB)

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Sports: Facilities

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding streams are available from government bodies to support the upkeep of grassroots sports facilities; and what proportion of such funding was allocated to each region in each of the last three years.

Tracey Crouch: It is the duty of sports clubs to maintain, budget for and carry out maintenance on their facilities. However, Government recognises that renovated spaces in which to play sport can make a significant difference, and increase participation. Through Sport England's Inspired Facilities fund, Government has invested over £110 million of National Lottery funding to renovate and modernise over 2000 sport clubs. In addition, £21 million of National Lottery has been used to protect and improve more than 1,100 pitches. Since 2010, Sport England has invested £129,977 in 13 grassroots sports projects in Leeds North West. This includes an Inspired Facilities investment of £37,833 in Otley Sailing Club to improve both the clubhouse facilities and access to the jetty for disabled sailors.Table 1: Regional breakdown of Sport England investment through Protecting Playing Fields and Inspired Facilities, 2012- present dayProtecting Playing Fields (Rounds 1-7, 2012 – present)Inspired Facilities (Rounds 1–8, 2012 – present)RegionsNo of AwardsTotal InvestmentNo of AwardsTotal InvestmentNorth East63£ 3,165,009177£ 10,086,815North West77£ 4,223,977247£ 13,637,131Yorkshire60£ 3,188,099199£ 10,631,886West Midlands50£ 2,405,864221£ 12,183,197East Midlands40£ 2,124,497208£ 11,397,255East25£ 1,376,112224£ 11,698,887South East43£ 2,118,338391£ 20,737,195London22£ 1,032,527118£ 6,985,902South West35£ 1,789,543260£ 13,390,014TOTAL415£ 21,423,9662045£ 110,748,282

Football: Sportsgrounds

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations his Department has received from professional football teams in England and Wales on the potential introduction of safe-standing facilities at higher tier sports stadia in the last year; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: Representations have been received from one League One club, Peterborough United, and from Grimsby Town in the National League about the possible introduction of safe standing accommodation at their respective grounds.The Minister for Sport has also met Andrew R T Davies, Leader of the Conservative Party at the Welsh Assembly to discuss the possibility of a safe standing pilot in Wales.

Department of Health

Electronic Cigarettes

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidelines are provided to broadcasters on the advertising of e-cigarettes on television; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Advertising Standards Authority has published guidance on the advertising of e-cigarettes, which took effect in November 2014. Guidance on advertising e-cigarettes on television can be found in the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (the BCAP code).E-cigarettes that are licenced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will continue to be able to be advertised from 20 May 2016, when the Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU is implemented in the United Kingdom, and advertising of all other e-cigarettes is no longer permitted on television.

Genetics: Screening

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the UK Genetics Testing Network plans to update its data on UK molecular genetic test activity rates.

George Freeman: The UK Genetic Testing Network has been working closely with the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) and NHS England to re-establish the national data collection for molecular genetic test activity rates. They are in the final stages of implementing a HSCIC national dataset and collection process for United Kingdom data. Data collection is expected to have been completed by the summer of 2016 with a full update prepared by the end of the year.

Myeloma: Medical Treatments

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients with multiple myeloma receive treatment at the highest standard of care comparable to other similar nations.

Jane Ellison: Ensuring that the National Health Service is able to support the availability and use of effective treatments and medicines for rare cancers, including multiple myeloma, is a key priority.Cancer 52, an organisation which specifically represents patients with rarer cancers, was represented on the independent Cancer Taskforce. In July 2015, the Taskforce published its report, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020. It made many recommendations relevant to rarer and blood cancers, focussing in particular on improving access to diagnostic testing, including fast, direct general practitioner access to key blood tests, and increasing patient access to the most advanced treatments.NHS England has well established structures and processes which ensure that the best possible treatments are commissioned across England for cancer, including both blood and rare cancers. NHS England obtains clinical advice about current and new treatments and clinical guidelines predominantly through clinical reference groups.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is developing guidelines for the treatment of multiple myeloma and these are currently subject to public consultation.In addition, a multiple myeloma algorithm is in development, which will help clinicians and patients to prescribe the appropriate chemotherapy care at the optimum point of the care pathway.

Cancer: Mortality Rates

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve one year cancer survival rates over the next five years.

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to respond to the report of the Independent Cancer Taskforce; and what the timetable is for implementation of the recommendations of that report.

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with (a) NHS England and (b) Health Education England on the strategic review of the cancer workforce recommended in the report of the  Independent Cancer Taskforce.

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government plans to take to support whole person care across the cancer pathway over the next 15 years.

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve outcomes for people with rarer cancers.

Jane Ellison: The independent Cancer Taskforce’s five-year strategy for cancer, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes, published in July 2015, recommends improvements across the cancer pathway with the aim of improving survival rates. NHS England has appointed Cally Palmer as NHS National Cancer Director. She will lead on the implementation of the strategy, as well as new cancer vanguards to redesign care and patient experience.She is currently setting up a new Cancer Transformation Board to lead the roll-out of the recommendations of the new strategy, and a Cancer Advisory Group, chaired by Dr Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, will oversee and scrutinise their work. Timeframes and phasing for implementation will be dependent on the final financial settlement reached as a result of the spending review.We announced in September 2015 that Health Education England (HEE) is developing a new national training programme for an additional 200 staff to get the skills and expertise to carry out endoscopies by 2018. The content of the next mandate from the Government to HEE is currently being determined.A commitment to whole-person care for patients, including those living with and beyond cancer, is embedded throughout the cancer taskforce report. In addition, the cancer vanguards have been established to explore new models of care, with a focus on delivering more person-centred care.Ensuring the National Health Service is able to support the availability and use of effective treatments and medicines for rare cancers is a key priority. Cancer 52, an organisation which specifically represents patients with rarer cancers, was represented on the independent Cancer Taskforce. The Taskforce’s report made many recommendations relevant to rarer cancers, focussing in particular on improving access to diagnostic testing, including fast, direct general practitioner access to key blood tests, and increasing patient access to the most advanced treatments.

Prosthetics

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will make representations to NHS England on its decision to delay the implementation of the positive national commissioning policy on microprocessor-controlled knees.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all lower limb amputees have access to the most appropriate prosthetics.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that lower limb amputees are able to access microprocessor-controlled knees through the NHS via a specialised commissioning policy before June 2016.

Alistair Burt: The commissioning of prosthetics is the responsibility of NHS England as a specialised service. The rehabilitation and re-ablement of patients is provided at a local level by specialised Multi-Disciplinary Teams which should be consultant led. The NHS Standard Contract for Complex Disability Equipment – Prosthetics, sets out how the specialist centres should operate and the required level of prosthetic services to be delivered.A revised policy proposal for the routine commissioning of microprocessor controlled knees was considered by NHS England’s expert Clinical Priorities Advisory Group which recommended its adoption for routine commissioning. The proposal was then considered by NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group at its meeting on 9 December where it was agreed that NHS England would support this service development as a possible call on its resources. However given the potential scale of investment and the need to consider its priority relative to other treatments which would also have a possible call on the specialised commissioning resources, it was decided that the policy should go forward for consideration as part of NHS England's next annual prioritisation round in June 2016.

NHS: Negligence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of delaying the introduction of a fixed recoverable costs regime for medical negligence cases until the planned reductions in costs resulting from the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 have been made.

Ben Gummer: The intention is to introduce fixed recoverable costs (FRC) for clinical negligence claims from 1 October 2016, following the outcome of the public consultation. The Department is aware that there are pre-Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 cases in the system and will be for a number of years. However, FRC for clinical negligence is not a new concept and had been proposed by Lord Woolf and Lord Justice Jackson in 1996 and 2009 respectively in order to better manage clinical negligence claims through the legal process.

Physiotherapy: East Midlands

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS respiratory physiotherapists work with people with muscle wasting conditions in (a) Nottingham, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the East Midlands.

Alistair Burt: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS: Negligence

Sir Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is his policy that costs in fatal cases involving a claim for less than £25,000, including the costs of representation at inquest, will fall outside of the proposed fixed recoverable costs in clinical negligence schemes.

Ben Gummer: The Department is currently preparing to go out to public consultation on the introduction of fixed recoverable costs (FRC) for clinical negligence claims as originally proposed by Lord Woolf and Lord Justice Jackson in 1996 and 2009 respectively. The consultation will include consideration on the maximum value of claims that will be covered by the FRC regime and whether there should be any exemptions. We will review all responses before making a final decision on these issues.

Genetics: Screening

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the reasons for women choosing to take a test for the BRCA1/2 gene mutation.

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women were tested for the BRCA1/2 gene mutation in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the UK Genetics Testing Network plans to conduct an evaluation of genetic testing for BRCA1/2 mutations.

George Freeman: NHS England offers BRCA testing to individuals with a greater than 10% chance of carrying the mutation, using a model based on the individual’s personal and family history of cancers. Data is not collected centrally on reasons for women choosing to take a test for the BRCA1/2 gene mutation.The UK Genetic Testing Network is working with NHS England, the devolved administrations and the Health and Social Care Information Centre to collect and publish United Kingdom-wide data on molecular genetic testing activity. Data collection is expected to have been completed by the summer of 2016 with a full update prepared for publication by the end of the year. However, it is not intended that this will include specific data for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation testing activity.

Psychiatric Nurses

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many psychiatric nurses were in post in each financial year since 2010-11.

Ben Gummer: Psychiatric nurses are not identified separately in the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s (HSCIC) workforce statistics. Area of Work, which is identified, is purely the area, function or specialty where the work activity takes place. The attached table shows the number of nurses within the psychiatry area of work from September 2010 to September 2015, the midpoint of the financial year. The data is sourced from the HSCIC’s monthly workforce statistics.



Qualified Nurses within the Psychiatry area
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.69 KB)

Health Professions: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training and professional development is given to (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) mental health professionals on (i) conflict resolution, (b) methodical empathy and (iii) mental self-care.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training and professional development is given to (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) mental health professionals on managing their own stress levels.

Ben Gummer: It is the responsibility of the professional regulators to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricula to ensure newly qualified healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. This may include training on conflict resolution, empathy, mental self-care and managing own stress.Health Education England has a leadership role in ensuring the service continues to invest in the ongoing education and training of all staff and a shared responsibility for investing in continuing professional development to promote service innovation and transformation. However, employers are ultimately responsible for continuing professional development of their employees.Employers also have a responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of their staff.

Offences against Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2015 to Question 19356, if he will make it his policy to collect information on the proportion of people identified as having experienced child abuse who are diagnosed with a mental health condition as a young person or adult.

Alistair Burt: The Government is fully committed to providing support for anyone who needs it, including those who have suffered child abuse, and aims to improve the data on prevalence of child sexual abuse so that commissioners are better able to ensure the most appropriate services are available. This includes improving available data on the prevalence of child abuse and related mental health issues, using the population-wide children and adolescent mental health survey, as well as a data collection specifically on the prevalence of child sexual abuse starting in certain targeted services.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20190, if he will make it his policy to collect centrally the number of (a) young carers accessing Children and Adolescene Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and (b) children provided with young carers assessments following contact with CAMHS.

Alistair Burt: This Government has no plans to collect this data centrally. The Government’s focus remains on promoting and supporting proper and effective multi-agency working and whole family approaches to assessment and support.This Government is committed to delivering the vision set out in Future in mind and is driving forward the transformation of children and young people’s mental health services to improve access and make services more widely available across the country so that, where possible, children can access high-quality support locally including vulnerable children which includes young carers.

NHS Trusts: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the end of financial year budget surpluses or deficits was for each health trust in London in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: The information requested is in the attached tables.



End of financial year budget surpluses or deficits
(Excel SpreadSheet, 21.42 KB)

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of elective operations were cancelled in (a) England and Wales, (b) London and (c) each health trust in England in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: The Department of Health has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Everolimus

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to made the drug Everolimus available on the NHS for treating the subependymal giant cell astrocytoma form of tuberous sclerosis complex.

George Freeman: A policy for the provision of Everolimus for Tuberous Sclerosis forComplex Related Renal Angiomyolipoma anda policy for the provision of Everolimusfor SubependymalGiant Cell Astrocytoma are currently in development. Once completed, each policy will need to be considered by the relevant clinical panels, the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group and the Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group.It is NHS England’s intention that the policies will be published by the end of the financial year.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of patients were seen within four hours of arriving at each A&E department in London in December (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014 and (f) 2015.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the format requested. Information is available on the percentage of patients that were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arriving at each accident and emergency department in London in December by year. December 2015 data has not been collected yet. This can be found at the following website:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many delays of over 12 hours there were in each A&E department in London in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the format requested. Information is available on the number of patients spending more than 12 hours from decision to admit to admission in each accident and emergency department in London by year. This can be found at the following website:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/

Women and Equalities

Females: Rural Areas

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to promote opportunities for women in rural areas to participate in public life.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government believes that public life is strengthened by the participation of people with different skills, backgrounds and experiences, from right across the country. As a country we cannot afford to waste the talents of half our population and that is why we must ensurewomenare better representedacross all walks of life, including those from rural areas.The 2015 General Election was a great step forward for women’s representation. We now have the highest number of female MPs in Parliament and a third of our Cabinet is made up of women. We know women continue to be under-represented on local councils; that is why schemes such as the Be a Councillor campaign, which has been run by the Local Government Association since 2012, are so important. The Government is also committed to increasing the diversity of public appointments and has set the aspiration that 50% of new appointments should go to women.